It certainly seems like Jayson Tatum is going to play basketball for the Boston Celtics at some point this season.
There has been no date set yet for a return and Tatum has not said he is going to play this season. Yet, all the signs point to a Tatum return and it could be soon.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne did say on Tuesday’s NBA Today that it is not guaranteed that J.T. returns so until he officially hits the court, there is still a possibility that Tatum does not play.
There has been conversation that Tatum could ruin the team chemistry or how will he adjust to, for lack of a better term, this being Jaylen Brown’s team.
I don’t think those are the questions we should be asking. Sure, they are concerns, but I am not worried about either of those issues. No matter at what percentage he is at, Jayson Tatum is going to be an additive player — he is going to make the Celtics better.
It is unfair to assume that the Celtics are going to get back the All-NBA First Team player they had on May 12th, 2025, when he had one of the best games of his career before the injury.
However, Ron Harper Jr. and Kevin Durant both said different variations of the Celtics getting that guy back when Tatum returns.
He is coming off of maybe the most devastating injury a basketball player can suffer and expecting him to show up and be himself again is unfair.
However, whatever version of Tatum the Celtics can get, they are going to need if they’re going to turn this unexpected start to a bona fide championship run.
Tatum has a lot of skills that he will be able to use as soon as he gets back into the lineup. His passing, catch-and-shoot threes, ability to attack a close out and his help side defensive should all translate as soon as he is back on the floor. So will the pick-and-rolls with Derrick White, which have been great no matter which player is the ball handler or screener.
Those are all real additive things that the Celtics need. Nikola Vucevic adds a lot to the Celtics offense with his passing, shooting and limited but still effective post-up game but that doesn’t change that losing Anfernee Simons hurts. Boston misses a lot of his skills and Tatum can fill the gaps of his loss.
Boston is 2-5 against the Knicks and Pistons this season. Those are the two teams Boston is most likely to see in a late round playoff series. Tatum will help against those teams. All four games against the Pistons came down to the final possessions, of which Boston lost 3, and both New York losses came with the Celtics scoring under 100 points.
