As Jayson Tatum prepared for his potential season debut, one of his veteran teammates expressed confidence that his reintegration into the Celtics’ lineup would be smooth.
“I mean, he’s been around, so I think he’ll be able to fit right in,” Sam Hauser said at morning shootaround ahead of Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. “We’ll be able to fit around him if that’s the case.”
Hauser was careful not to reveal whether Tatum planned to suit up against Dallas. Boston [upgraded the superstar wing to questionable](https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/03/05/jayson-tatum-upgraded-could-make-season-debut-vs-mavericks/) on Thursday, clearing a path for him to play for the first time since he ruptured his Achilles last May.
Tatum has been a constant presence around the team throughout his nearly 10-month recovery process, rehabbing at the Celtics’ practice facility and attending nearly every game, home and road. Hauser said that approach “speaks volumes” about Tatum’s love for basketball and commitment to the team.
Reactivating Tatum will add one of the NBA’s best players to a roster that’s far exceeded expectations this season. Boston entered Friday with the league’s fourth-best record and second-best net rating. Tatum has played with most of the Celtics’ current rotation players in the past — especially 2024 championship holdovers Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Hauser — but nearly all of them have assumed larger roles in his absence.
Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh weren’t rotation regulars last season. Rookie Hugo Gonzalez and midseason pickup Nikola Vucevic will be teaming up with Tatum for the first time. Brown and White have become the primary drivers of the Celtics’ offense.
There are valid questions about how Boston might need to tweak its approach with Tatum back in the mix. It’s also not yet clear when Tatum, who regularly ranks near the top of the NBA in minutes played, will be ready to resume his full workload.
Tatum acknowledged in a January podcast interview that there “obviously could be some challenges” as the team [works to reintegrate him](https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/01/28/jayson-tatum-opens-up-about-achilles-rehab-possible-return-timeline/) while maintaining its winning formula.
“We only have (20) games left, so it’s going to have to be a quick process whenever that happens,” Hauser said. “As much as you want, like, a grace period for that, we don’t really have that luxury, so we’re all just going to have to figure it out on the fly. That’s a good thing for us to have to problem-solve whenever that comes up and figure things out on our own. But I think overall, it’s a positive.”
If Tatum is cleared to play Friday night?
“I mean, if it does happen, it would be awesome,” Hauser said. “The crowd would probably love it. But we’re just worried about trying to get a win. That’s the main thing for all of us: preparing for the Dallas Mavericks.”