Jayson Tatum's season debut is coming soon for the Boston Celtics.
Maybe it'll be Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks, or maybe he'll need just a few more days before finally getting on the floor.
This is what ESPN's Shams Charania wrote on X on Thursday:
"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."
When Tatum returns, though, it's safe to expect the Celtics to be cautious with him.
MORE:LeBron just got passed on Ohio's all-time scoring list
Is Jayson Tatum on a minutes restriction?
Tatum will almost certainly be on a minutes restriction when he returns from his torn Achilles.
It's too major an injury to take any risks with. Tatum has been playing 5-on-5 in practice, so the Celtics likely have a good idea of what he can and can't handle at this point.
They've positioned themselves well enough in the standings that the goal should simply to be to have Tatum at full throttle for the playoffs. They don't need him to over-exert himself for a late push in the regular season, but they'll also want him to get up to speed by the postseason.
There's a chance Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla eventually shares a specific number of minutes planned for Tatum. He also could play it close to the vest.
But the Celtics will certainly keep an eye on Tatum's early usage to ensure their superstar is at his best when it really matters.
MORE:Hall of Famer's son leaves Lakers to sign contract overseas