The Boston Celtics' fanbase had begun to speculate. They circled March 1 on the calendar.
The Celtics are playing the 76ers on Sunday, March 1, and they thought that'd be the day that Jayson Tatum returned from his long injury absence due to his torn Achilles.
That won't be the case, though.
Tatum remains listed as out by the Celtics for Sunday.
The Celtics say Jayson Tatum remains out Sunday against Philadelphia: pic.twitter.com/E26xW5lUWe
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 28, 2026
Tatum has yet to play this season after tearing his Achilles in last season's playoffs.
In Tatum's absence, a number of Celtics have embraced larger roles, led by Jaylen Brown, who has earned some MVP support for his play without Tatum.
The impending return of Tatum, assuming it comes at some point, is a huge development for the Celtics.
They've positioned themselves well in the standings even without Tatum. Getting him back now is a bit like a supercharged trade deadline addition.
Clearly, the Celtics will still take it easy with Tatum at first. They won't want to overdo it as he comes back from a serious injury.
Eventually, though, the hope will be that Tatum is back to his regular self. And if the Celtics can add a full-strength Tatum to their playoff rotation this season, no one will want to play them.
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