With the Boston Celtics holding the second seed in the Eastern Conference despite significant roster turnover and the prolonged absence of Jayson Tatum, all eyes are on a possible return for the six-time All-Star as soon as Friday night.
Celtics legend Paul Pierce offered a measured perspective on the situation during a new episode of the No Foul Given podcast.
“We have to wrap our mind around this," Pierce said. "It sounds great -- Jayson Tatum is coming back. We can’t expect him to be the same player right away that he was before he got hurt. You know, that would be like, you don’t expect Jayson Tatum (to) come back and start getting 30. He has to work his way to that. ... You always want the best for a player when he goes through a situation like this ... just to be as careful as he can."
Paul Pierce on Jayson Tatum’s return to the Boston Celtics on Friday night:
“We have to wrap our mind around this, it sounds great. Oo, Jayson Tatum is coming back. We can’t expect him to be the same player right away that he was before he got hurt. You know, that would be like,… https://t.co/kKUAh51egd pic.twitter.com/nhsXsP9Ck1
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Pierce's comments come as Tatum has ramped up his rehab from a torn Achilles sustained in the 2025 playoffs, recently taking part in full 5-on-5 scrimmages. Integrating him back will require patience from everyone involved.
In his most recent completed season, Tatum put together another impressive campaign for the Celtics. The forward started 72 games in 2024-25, averaging 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per contest en route to All-NBA First Team honors.
Tatum also delivered strong playoff performances before his injury, averaging 28.1 points and 11.5 rebounds over eight games as Boston advanced past the first round.
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