Jayson Tatum, Celtics
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Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics listens to a reporters question during Boston Celtics media day at the Auerbach Center on September 29, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Superstar Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will reportedly be under a heavy minutes restriction for several weeks after returning from an Achilles injury.
ClutchPoints’ Brett Silegel speculates that Tatum may not tally more than 15 minutes per game through his first few weeks.
“Expect Jayson Tatum to be on a STRICT minutes restriction,” Siegel reported. “I’d personally be shocked if he’s playing more than 10-15 minutes for the first few weeks.”
Tatum, upgraded to questionable for Friday’s home game against the Dallas Mavericks, could return to the Celtics lineup this weekend, less than 300 days after tearing his Achilles during last year’s playoff series against the New York Knicks.
For what it’s worth, Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray has been limited to 25 minutes since returning from the same injury. However, Murray was sidelined for about 389 days after suffering an Achilles tear last January, nearly 100 days longer than Tatum.
Shams Charania
BREAKING: Boston Celtics All-NBA star Jayson Tatum will play this season and could make his debut on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks – less than 10 months after surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Jayson Tatum Return
At the start of the 2025-26 season, it was widely expected that Tatum would sit out the entire campaign, a recovery timeline that has been the norm for other players dealing with an Achilles tear in recent years. While Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins all missed at least a full year due to the same injury, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton — who also tore their Achilles in last year’s playoffs — were ruled out for the entire season even before it began.
As the season progressed, however, the murmurs of a Jayson Tatum return grew louder, reaching a fever pitch when the All-Star began participating in five-on-five scrimmages and workouts with the G League’s Maine Celtics and later the Celtics.
If Tatum does return on Friday, he’d make the third-fastest return from an Achilles injury in recent years, behind only his idol, Kobe Bryant, and Chauncey Billups.
Brett Siegel
Days between notable NBA stars’ Achilles injuries and their eventual returns:
Kobe Bryant (Apr. 2013) – 240 days Chauncey Billups (Feb. 2012) – 296 days DeMarcus Cousins (Jan. 2018) – 357 days Kevin Durant (Jun. 2019) – 552 days
Jayson Tatum’s return will be after 298 days.
Jayson Tatum Looks Like Old Self
It goes without saying, but the Celtics wouldn’t have cleared Tatum for a return if he hadn’t checked off a long series of checkpoints, including reaching specific conditioning and weight markers. The Celtics have also reportedly been very pleased with how Tatum has performed in recent practice sessions, with veteran guard Derrick White stating on Wednesday that his teammate has resembled his old self.
“He looks good,” White said of Tatum. “Playing, moving. It’s been good to see him back and getting up and down. You kind of see all the work he’s put in to get to this point. And it’s been great to see him be able to do what he loves to do.”
Daniel Donabedian
Derrick White on how Jayson Tatum has looked while they’ve played together recently:
“He looks good. Playing, moving…It’s been good to see him back and getting up and down.”
The Celtics (41-21) are poised to become the clear favorites to win the East and reach the 2026 NBA Finals following the news of Jayson Tatum’s return.
“If Tatum does return, he would instantly have an impact on the betting market, as Boston’s title odds would get shorter by a bit,” Borgata sportsbook director Thomas Gable told The Athletic’s Vik Chokshi earlier this week.
“Bettors have likely been backing them with that news in mind, so it makes sense the market continues to trend the way it has,” Caesars lead basketball oddsmaker David Lieberman added.