The Boston Celtics are bracing for a potential Jayson Tatum return this week.
As the Celtics submitted their initial injury report on Thursday afternoon, the team announced that Jayson Tatum has been upgraded to questionable for the Friday night matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. With that, the Celtics officially confirm that their star forward will play this season. The big question now is whether he'll debut on Friday or on a later date.
With Tatum returning to the court rather quickly-less than 10 months after his Achilles surgery-fans remain shocked with the news, although it's been suggested for a while now that Tatum could play in 2025-2026.
NBA World Reacts to Jayson Tatum's Potential Return vs Mavericks
"The return of the king," a fan wrote on Reddit. "Anything is possible!!!" another fan added.
"Larry Bird isn't walking through that door… but Jayson Tatum is! Let's go!!!"
"The Larry is coming home man I can't believe it."
When Tatum went down with his injury during the second-round series against the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics were believed to be entering a gap year, similar to what the Indiana Pacers are currently dealing with.
The Pacers lost Tyrese Haliburton to the same injury two rounds later. Considering the timing, Haliburton didn't plan to play in 2025-2026 at all. With the loss of Haliburton and some key players in free agency and the trade market, the Pacers have been one of the Eastern Conference's worst teams. They are 15-47, sitting 15th on Thursday.
A Tatum-less Celtics team didn't regress the way many might've thought. Jaylen Brown has been playing at an MVP level, and the combination of talent and excellent coaching has allowed the Celtics not only to stay afloat without their star forward but also to look like one of the top teams in the league.
The Celtics are second in the East with a 41-21 record.
"NEEDED THIS After Hornets gave us BELT at TD GARDEN LAST NIGHT," another fan on Reddit wrote. "Detroit WE COMING FOR YALL."
The Pistons are at the top of the East, holding a 5.0-game lead over the Celtics.
With the Celtics on pace to make the playoffs, Tatum's early March return gives him plenty of time to work on getting comfortable within the system that thrived without him this year. Although the Celtics have had success in his absence, that doesn't mean Tatum's skills and playoff experience won't be valued and needed come April.
Tatum has eight years of postseason experience (121 games). He averages 24.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in the playoffs. The Celtics will be fotunate to have Tatum back just in time for the final stretch run.
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