Ryan Laws
It’s been 291 days since Jayson Tatum went down indefinitely in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks, a crushing blow to the Celtics lineup, and despite winning Game 5, they were eliminated in 6 games by New York.
The question since that night was: When will Tatum return from his Achilles injury? Can he return in the latter half of the 2026 season? Is it even worth it if Boston isn’t competing for anything?
The assumption that the Celtics would not be great in 2026 was a fair one to make; they not only were without JT, but they also lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet to higher bidders in free agency. They also moved on from Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis via trade; 2 more key members of the championship team in 2024 are gone.
With these circumstances, the expectations for the team were to maybe sneak into the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed, maybe Tatum could return for the first round, and we’ll go from there. A lot of the fanbase would have even been okay with the team missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014 if it meant getting a high draft pick in this loaded class.
But those thoughts are a thing of the distant past, as this Celtics team has exceeded expectations and then some, currently the number 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 38-20. Meanwhile, the conversations about Jayson Tatum’s return have heated up in recent weeks.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that Tatum has been a full-go in 5-on-5 scrimmages at Celtics’ practices.
This report makes it seem evident that JT must be returning soon. While it was a major injury to recover from and a short amount of time to do so, he’s made great progress, and there’s only so long that someone can practice 5-on-5 before the question becomes, “Why can’t he suit up in a game?”
I am no doctor, and I have never had an Achilles injury (knock on wood), but I decided to put together a quick top 3 of Jayson Tatum’s likely return dates, a massive boost to the Celtics lineup, whether he is fully himself right away or not.
The list can be chopped down to only Boston home games, as he said himself, he will want to return in front of Boston’s home crowd.
3. March 14th, Wizards vs. Celtics
For me, this last spot goes to either this game or March 6th vs the Mavericks, and while Tatum vs Flagg in his first game back would be electric, I think the overall date of March 14th means something to Tatum.
Credit to Dan Greenberg, a Celtics blogger, for mentioning this date as a possibility. The first connection is St. Louis’ area code, JT’s hometown, which is 314, the length of the first episode of Tatum’s return documentary on NBC: 3 minutes and 14 seconds. In 2024, Jayson Tatum was eligible for a $315 million contract extension with the C’s; he decided to sign for $314 million. When do the Celtics play the Wizards? 3/14, this date clearly means something to Tatum. The only question for me is if it is too late. If Tatum is ready to go right now, why wait until the 14th?
2. March 4th, Hornets vs. Celtics
The main reason for this game being number 2 on the list is that it’s at home, and if Tatum doesn’t feel ready for the 1st of March, then this is the next possible option on the schedule.
But furthermore, it’s a Wednesday night against a Hornets team that has actually been pretty solid since the start of the new year, but overall, tickets for this game are nowhere near the price of a weekend game or a high-profile matchup. It could be Tatum’s thank you to Celtics fans for supporting his full recovery, and not have his return be financially impossible to go to.
1. March 1st, 76ers vs. Celtics
Now, if you check a calendar, that’s this Sunday, and just saying that out loud is crazy to say that it could be Tatum’s return game. Why do I think this game is the one?
The sole reason I’m banking on this is due to NBC flexing this matchup to their network and bumping Thunder vs Mavericks, and also pushing the game back from 6 PM to the primetime slot at 8 PM. Could the network be doing this because 76ers vs Celtics is a better matchup with more of a story, whether Tatum plays or not? Maybe… but I think they know something we don’t! I think Tatum will be suiting up AND playing this Sunday.
If I’m correct about any of these dates being true, you’re welcome. If I’m wrong about all of them, then forget about the list, just be excited that we are closer to his return than ever!
