Jayson Tatum is currently sidelined with an Achilles tendon tear. The Boston Celtics superstar suffered the injury when facing the New York Knicks in the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Tatum is expected to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 NBA season. However, there is some slight hope that he could be cleared to play by March. In a recent post to his YouTube story, Tatum explained his current rehab process. He noted how he’s in the gym six days per week with his friend and trainer Nick Sang.
“Rehab station, lift after that,” Tatum said. “Six days a week, bro. I ain’t in here six days a week for no reason.”
Tatum’s injury has led to significant changes within the Celtics’ rotation. His absence means that Boston will not be a contending team next season. As such, Brad Stevens moved to reduce the potential $500 million payroll the franchise was facing once luxury taxes had been included.
Therefore, when Tatum is cleared to return to the court, the team he suits up with will look significantly different from the one surrounding him at the time of his injury.
Celtics Should Play It Safe With Tatum
Celtics fans will undoubtedly be hopeful of seeing Tatum on the court next season. However, there is limited upside in the Celtics clearing him for NBA playing time next season. Boston isn’t a contending team. Bringing Tatum back for the final stretch of a season where a championship isn’t on the cards makes no sense.
Being medically cleared to play isn’t the same as being in top condition. Once Tatum is cleared, the next step will be to build up his conditioning. Then, he must learn to trust his body again. There’s minimal value in risking aggravating his injury this season. The longer he can work on his body in the background, the better.
That way, Tatum can return ahead of the 2026-27 season and begin ramping himself back up, giving him a full season to get back to his best ahead of the playoffs.
Celtics’ Tatum is Ahead of Schedule
According to an anonymous NBA scout who spoke with Steve Bulpett of Heavy on Sports, Tatu is moving around without a protective boot. The scout had attended Chris Paul’s CP3 Elite Camp in Las Vegas, where Tatum was also present.
“He was moving really well,” said the scout in a phone conversation with Heavy Sports later that day. “There might have been a slight limp or something, but the surprising thing to me is that he didn’t have a boot for any of it.”
The scout continued.
“I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen guys coming back from Achilles’ tears, and he looked way ahead. I was kind of shocked to see how well he was moving. I have no idea for what any of this means for when he can come back. I’m sure him and the Celtics’ medical people have their program set up, and they’ll make sure that he’s where he needs to be when he does get back. But he looks great right now. Of course, he didn’t do any running or even jogging, but he was in great shape and he had no trouble doing his part at the camp.”
Tatum still has a long way to go before being cleared to return to on-court activities. However, his decision to get surgery so quickly after the injury has clearly begun to pay dividends. Still, that doesn’t mean we should see him on the court next season, whether he’s cleared or not.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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