Jayson Tatum is back for the Boston Celtics, but he's still not all the way back.
That's true in terms of both his skills and his playing time. Skill-wise, he's still shaking off the rust based on his 39.3% field goal percentage and 29% 3-point percentage -- both of which are well below his career averages.
In terms of playing time, he's still on a minutes restriction. He's averaged 27 minutes in his first three games back compared to 36.4 minutes per game last season.
His playing time has held steady at right around 27 minutes in all three of his games so far, so he's yet to start ramping up in that sense. The Celtics are trying to be somewhat cautious with him after his 10-month layoff and not push him too hard too soon.
That said, Tatum feels good and believes he could play more if needed.
Jayson Tatum when asked if he could play more minutes after registering 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals in 26:46 vs. the Spurs tonight:
"I could play more. But, I mean, I understand the bigger picture. In the moment, I'm not thinking about my Achilles. I'm trying to compete,… pic.twitter.com/r1v8UUfsQT
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) March 11, 2026
"I could play more. But, I mean, I understand the bigger picture," Tatum told reporters after Tuesday's road loss to the San Antonio Spurs. "In the moment, I'm not thinking about my Achilles. I'm trying to compete, I'm trying to be out there, but it's part of the plan, so I've gotta stick with it."
Notably, Tatum did not see a bump in minutes after Jaylen Brown was ejected in the second quarter. Perhaps if he'd received more playing time, Boston wouldn't have lost.
Tatum is getting an off day on Thursday and will miss tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. His next chance to play will be at home on Saturday against the Washington Wizards.
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