In what is the biggest developing story in the NBA, the Boston Celtics have announced that Jayson Tatum plans on playing this season after suffering a torn Achilles injury in May, and he is currently listed as questionable for the team’s upcoming game against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
There was mass speculation about Tatum playing this season despite the devastating injury last postseason, but now, all those rumors have been turned into facts, as Tatum is set to get back on the court this season.
“BREAKING: Boston Celtics All-NBA star Jayson Tatum will play this season and could make his debut on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks – less than 10 months after surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon,” NBA insider Shams Charania wrote in a post on X.
Tatum was the leading scorer for Boston last season, but questions remain on his fit next to Jaylen Brown and the rest of the team, as the Celtics have exceeded expectations despite not having the franchise star.
Fans React To Jayson Tatum Celtics Return Announcement
As mentioned, news about a potential Tatum injury return had only ramped up over the past few weeks and days, but now, with the official announcement that he will play this season, the Celtics now have an even greater chance at making another deep playoff run.
On X, fans reacted to the news that Tatum is returning and officially listed as questionable for the Friday game against Dallas.
“OH MY GOD MY GLORIOUS KING JAYSON CHRISTOPHER TATUM IS FINALLY RETURNING THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE,” user CelticsAdam34 wrote.
“he’s back, baby.”
“Honestly man, that’s incredible! So happy he was able to make a quick full recovery.”
“its really happening man.”
“BANNER 19 ON THE WAYYY!!!”
“10 months. That is a historic turnaround for a ruptured Achilles.”
“If he looks like 80% of old Tatum the league is cooked.”
“Celtics need him desperately but rushing back from that injury is how careers end. If he’s actually fully healed, this changes Boston’s entire season trajectory immediately,” X user kvng_chi wrote.
Fans also used both quotes and gifs from Meek Mill’s song Dreams and Nightmares “I used to pray for times like this,” as well as Michael Scott from The Office saying “Oh my God, it’s happening, everybody stay calm.”
To be clear, Tatum has not yet been cleared to play on Friday. The official news is that Tatum will be back this season, and he is still listed as questionable for the Celtics’ game vs. the Mavericks.
Will Jayson Tatum Be On A Minutes Restriction? How Will He Impact The Celtics And Play With Jaylen Brown Upon His Return?
Now that it is clear that Tatum will play this season, it raises a few questions about whether he’ll be on a minutes restriction and how he’ll fit next to the current star in Brown.
Speaking on the Run It Back show, NBA insider Chris Mannix believes Tatum knows his role next to Brown on this year’s Celtics team.
With the pending return of Jayson Tatum, @SIChrisMannix doesn’t see there being any chemistry issues.
Tatum knows this is Brown’s team.
“I think Tatum knows, coming back, he’s stepping onto Jaylen Brown’s team,” he said. “Brown is a top-five, top-six MVP candidate this year. He has put this team on his back offensively, and Tatum’s going to have to find a way to fit into that.”
But while Brown is having an MVP-caliber season, Tatum is coming off one of the biggest injuries a professional athlete can suffer. Speaking on his podcast, former Celtics legend and Finals MVP Paul Pierce believes expectations will need to be tempered, and Tatum should slide in behind Brown on Boston’s pecking order.
“We have to wrap our mind around this. It sounds great, oh, Jayson Tatum is coming back. We can’t expect him to be the same player right away that he was before he got hurt,” Pierce said. “You know, that would be like, you don’t expect Jayson Tatum come back and start getting 30. He has to work his way to that. And I know it sounds great and you always want the best for a player when he goes through a situation like this, and he comes back just to be as careful as he can.”
Mannix added that Tatum will likely be on a minutes restriction and could even come off the bench in his first few games back.
“Mazzulla has been tight-lipped about Tatum, but one would expect a minutes restriction after such a lengthy absence,” Jay King wrote for The Athletic. “Dejounte Murray had a limit of about 25 minutes when he returned recently from a torn Achilles. Murray missed about 13 months with the injury. So far, Tatum has missed about 10 months.”
The assumption is that Tatum will likely play anywhere from 10 to 18 minutes upon his return, and that will only increase as he gets more in-game action.
But in what is the best possible news for Celtics’ fans, and the rest of the NBA, is that Tatum will return this season. It might not be on Friday against the Mavericks, but he’s currently listed on the team’s injury report as questionable, and could make his return in Dallas.
Jayson Tatum Return News Sparks Stunned Fan Reactions, Star ‘Questionable’ vs. Mavericks