Jayson Tatum
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 21: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks on before a game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on March 21, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics walked off the TD Garden floor Wednesday night after a tough loss. The Charlotte Hornets left with 118-89 victory over the 2 seed in the East.
Derrick White posted 29 points and tried to carry the load by himself. Jaylen Brown finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. No other Celtic reached double figures in a tough shooting night. Boston shot 35 percent from the field and got outworked in every way that matters.
Friday brings a chance to erase the memory. The Dallas Mavericks are in town, and there is real speculation that Jayson Tatum may make his return. Celtics legend Paul Pierce had something important to say about what comes next.
Pierce Addresses Tatum’s Potential Return
Pierce understands what Boston fans are feeling right now. The anticipation. The hope. He also understands reality.
“We have to wrap our mind around this, it sounds great. Oo, Jayson Tatum is coming back,” Pierce said on ‘No Fouls Given’. “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 come back and start getting 30. He has to work his way to that.”
The message cuts through the noise. Tatum has been playing five-on-five. He’s ramping up. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported it’s a matter of when, not if, Tatum returns this season. Bill Simmons floated Friday as the likely date. Everything points toward Tatum stepping back on the court soon.
But Pierce is asking everyone to pump the brakes on expectations. Don’t expect vintage Tatum immediately. The player who averaged 28 points before tearing his Achilles in last year’s playoffs won’t magically reappear in his first game back.
“I know it sounds great and you always want the best for a player when he goes through a situation like this and he comes back just to be as careful as he can,” Pierce added.
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
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 4, 2026
Pierce’s Comments on Mazzulla
Pierce didn’t stop at tempering Tatum expectations. He made another point in the same podcast. Joe Mazzulla should be in the Coach of the Year conversation.
“For me to look up and to see the Celtics are the second seed in the East which they were a year ago without Tatum,” Pierce said. “So they lost Tatum, Porzingis, Jrue, Horford, Kornet and you lost Charles Lee, a great assistant coach that’s down there in Charlotte that is up for coach of the year. That’s a thing.”
Pierce laid out the losses one by one. Tatum gone for the most of the season. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday dealt away. Al Horford and Luke Kornet no longer on the roster. Charles Lee, the assistant coach who helped build Boston’s championship system, now coaching the Hornets.
All of that, and Boston still sits at 41-21. Second in the Eastern Conference.
“Look at how much they’ve lost from the core of their championship team,” Pierce continued. “For them to still say, ‘Hey, we’re the second seed a year later.’ It’s like it’s incredible.”
Joe Mazulla, Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Derrick White, Celtics
GettyBoston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla stands in a huddle with Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Derrick White.
The Celtics Season So Far
The Celtics sit at 41-21 without Tatum playing a single game this season. That record exists because players stepped up and the system worked.
Jaylen Brown is having a career year. He’s averaging 29.2 points per game while carrying the offensive load for Boston.
Derrick White just won Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for February. The award recognized what he’s been doing all season, anchoring Boston’s defense while the roster dealt with departures.
Joe Mazzulla deserves recognition. Pierce made that point clear when discussing Coach of the Year. Boston lost key members of the 2024 championship team. Still second in the East. Still a legitimate contender.
The depth was a question mark in October. Mazzulla turned it into a strength by March.
That success creates the cushion Pierce is talking about. Boston doesn’t need Tatum to immediately be perfect. The team has proven it can win without him. When he returns, he joins a roster that’s already figured out how to compete at a high level.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
GettyJayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Final Word for the Celtics
The wait has been long. The anticipation keeps building with every practice report about five-on-five work and every speculation about the night.
Pierce isn’t trying to dampen excitement, but Tatum will need time to work back to form.
Friday could be the night. Regardless of what happens, the Garden will be electric if Tatum steps on the floor.