Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum‘s potential in-season return is the talk of Beantown. Making an appearance on HoopsHype’s Around the Beat podcast, CLNS Media beat writer Bobby Manning finally put a date on when the six-time All-Star could return.
Celtics’ Jayson Tatum On Track To Return By March
“He has said that he wants his first game back to be at TD Garden,” Manning says. “And so, I am looking at late February, early March, that period for him to be back in contact, five-on-five type activity, ramp up toward a return to play. And if he does have that month-long window or so before the playoffs, I think it is feasible to see him back in the lineup mid-March and have a month to ramp up, play unlimited minutes and be 10 months removed from that surgery, and be fully ramped up for the playoffs where he’ll be 11 months removed.”
“And from doctors I’ve talked to, the greatest risk period of re-tearing it is four to six months. So, he’s past that. And every month that you take up to 12 months is going to bring you closer to a zero percent chance. But he is in a strong position right now. I think just from where he’s could make an appearance around March this season. But it’ll be interesting to watch because over the next three, four weeks here, I think we’re going to learn a lot about where he’s at. This period, I still have no idea about whether that’s going to happen.”
As a caveat, Manning isn’t an orthopedic surgeon or any other type of doctor. He majored in communications and journalism at Syracuse University, not biology and physiology. Even so, he’s consulted with those in the know about the recovery process. That includes not just those with medical expertise but NBA players like Miami Heat guard Dru Smith. Furthermore, he’s been able to watch Tatum’s workouts in-person, adding a layer of reliability to his assessment.
Essentially, the notion that Tatum will be ready to play by “late February” or “early March” should be taken with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, there’s a real reason to believe that will be the case. For starters, millions have seen the workout videos that Tatum has been posting since the offseason, marking his progress. The Anomaly, as he’s been called, went from saying he’s rusty (in a much more colorful way) in late September to comfortably dunking by mid-January.
Is That Too Early To Return From His Achilles Injury?
Tatum has cited Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant‘s recovery from his ruptured right Achilles as inspiration.
The thing about that is there was a 552-day gap between Durant’s injury and his return from it. That’s the equivalent of 18 months (well, 18.1, but who’s counting). If Tatum is literally trying to walk down that same post-Achilles path, he shouldn’t make his comeback until next season. At this rate, he’s closer to mimicking Smith, who tore his Achilles on Dec. 23, 2024 but was back playing on Oct. 23, 2025 (exactly 10 months to the date).
Tatum’s idol, former Los Angeles Lakers giant Kobe Bryant, came back even quicker. Though tearing his Achilles in April 2013, he returned to the court in October 2013. However, Bryant never looked the same after his injury, averaging 19.2 points per game on 36.4% shooting from the field afterwards. Keeping that in mind, though Smith hasn’t missed a beat since his return, his usage is nothing like Tatum’s. As a result, he may not be the best proxy for Tatum to measure himself by.
Ultimately, Tatum’s best course of action could be sitting out for the remainder of 2025-26. Obviously, this is based on sparse anecdotal evidence. Nevertheless, it’s probably better to be safe than sorry when discussing the long-term ramifications of a franchise cornerstone (who’s supposed to be in the prime of his career) coming back from an injury as serious as this.
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