Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
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Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum will not return from his Achilles injury when the Boston Celtics face the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, March 4.
He is the only name on the team’s injury report.
Tatum hasn’t suited up for Boston since game four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals 4-2 series loss to the New York Knicks. Before his injury, he was averaging 28.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game in the postseason. Tatum shot 46.4% from two-point range and 37.2% from deep during the ill-fated playoff run.
Despite Tatum’s absence this season, the Celtics are flying high in the Eastern Conference. Joe Mazzulla’s team sits second, five games behind the Detroit Pistons and two games ahead of New York.
Wednesday will see Boston face a Charlotte team that will be on the second night of a back-to-back. That game will be the first contest between the two teams. They will play each other another two times before the end of the season, one on March 29 and the other on April 7.
Bill Simmons Predicts Tatum Returns on Friday
According to veteran NBA analyst Bill Simmons, Tatum could return to the Celtics rotation against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, March 6. That game will take place at the TD Garden. Tatum has previously discussed wanting his first game back to be in front of a hometown crowd.
“Tatum, it feels like it’s going to be Friday in Dallas. That’s what all signs are pointing to, Friday in Dallas,” Simmons said during a recent episode of ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast.’ “I was wondering if it would be this weekend, but by Friday. I think it was not going to be this weekend.”
Bringing Tatum back for a matchup against Dallas would pit him against rookie standout Cooper Flagg. Both players came into the league via Duke, so there is already a connection between the two.
Tatum Unsure About In-Season Celtics Return
In a Feb. 17 edition of ESPN’s NBA Today, Ramona Shelburne reported that Tatum remains unsure about a potential in-season return.
“I know everybody has seen that game got flexed to that spot on NBC on prime time. There’s a documentary that an NBC affiliate has been doing,” Shelburne said. “There are connecting dots. But, I checked in with Jayson Tatum, and he said, ‘I’ve still not made a decision on whether or not I’m coming back this year.’”
The four-time All-NBA first-team selection has been sticking to a strict rehab program following his injury. He was recently cleared for controlled five-on-five work with the coaching staff and some of the deep bench.
If Tatum is medically cleared in the coming days, he will need to make a final decision on whether he’s going to play this season. There are still enough games left for him to safely ramp back up ahead of the playoffs.
Nevertheless, that return isn’t going to happen on Wednesday. As such, Celtics fans will need to wait a little while longer before seeing the team’s superstar forward step back onto the court.
All we know for sure, is medical clearance feels like it’s getting closer by the day.