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After a new Jayson Tatum injury return update and return date, he will face a minutes restriction as he joins 'Jaylen Brown's' Celtics team.
Jayson Tatum is ramping up to an Achilles injury return for the Boston Celtics this season.While it was previously just speculation about the star playing this year,it’s since morphed into an expectation thathe’ll get back on the floor, but amidhis return ramping up, questions about his fit next to current leading star Jaylen Brown continue to be asked.
Can Tatum come back and not destroy the incredible run and chemistry the Celtics have built this season, led by Brown?
While the answer to that question remains tobe seen, one insider thinks Tatum knows his place in Boston, at least for the rest of this season.
How Will Jayson Tatum Fit Next To Jaylen Brown On The Celtics When He Returns? Will He Be On A Minutes Restriction?
While featured as a guest onFanDuel’sRun It Back show with former NBA players, league insider and reporter Chris Mannix answered the question oneveryone’s mind of how Tatum will fit alongside Brown in Boston when he does eventually return this season.
Run It Back
This is Jaylen Brown’s team now 👀
With the pending return of Jayson Tatum, @SIChrisMannix doesn’t see there being any chemistry issues.
Tatum knows this is Brown’s team.
“I think Tatum knows, coming back,he’s stepping onto JaylenBrown’s team,”he said. “Brown is a top-five, top-six MVP candidate this year. He has put this team on his back offensively, andTatum’s going to have to find a way to fit into that.”
Brown is having the best season of his career,putting up 29 points, 7.1 rebounds, and five assists on 48.2% shooting in 54 games while leading Boston to a 41-20 record, currently second in the East.
Mannix also said that Tatum will be on a minutes restriction when hedoes finallysuit up for the Celtics, but was unsure about whether the forward would automatically be a starter,or slowly come off the bench.
“I would imagine when he gets back, he would want to be in the starting lineup,”Mannix added.
Though it will require some time for Tatum to get back into his pre-injury form,he’ll likely be a smaller piece in the rotation, behind Brown and perhaps even Derrick White for a bit, potentially the rest of the season barring a deep playoff run, as the Celticswon’t want to risk another injury setback.
However, whenever he does return from his injury, in whatever form he comes back in, Tatum will be a major addition to this Boston team.
When Is Jayson Tatum Coming Back From His Injury?
Last week, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Tatum went through five-on-five drills with the Celtics,in what was one of his biggest injury checkpointsof the months-long process. The insider added thatTatum’s return willcome down to when he is mentally ready to beback on the court, but recently, the expectation is clear that he will play this season after suffering a torn Achilles last May.
Additionally, speaking onESPN’s Get Up show on Wednesday, Tim McMahonsaid thatit’s not a matter of if, but when Tatum willmake his injuryreturn.
“It certainly seems like a matter of when, not if,”MacMahon said. “He’s been playing five-on-five for weeks, ramping up. And I think nowit’s really an issue of how comfortable Jayson Tatum is with a level that he feels like he can perform at.”
Get Up
“A matter of when, not if.”
—@BannedMacMahon on the timeline of Jayson Tatum’s pending return ☘️
Additionally, though it might not carry any true weight, onESPN’s official NBA injury report page, the company has an estimated return date for theCeltics’ forward on March 16th. Perhaps just a date put into the website as a placeholder, the news has since raised questions about whether his return date was sitting right in front of fans’ faces, without anyone noticing.
Noted Celtics fan and NBA podcaster Bill Simmons has consistentlysaid that Tatum willcome back this season, and noted a few games in March that could be when he finallygets back on the court.
Regardless, at this point in the year, a Tatum injury return will come whenhe’s ready to play.While thatis yet to be fully decidedon and confirmed by the Celtics, signs point to the starcoming back relatively soon.