I’m old enough to admit when I’m wrong. So far, I’ve been wrong about Jayson Tatum returning from his Achilles injury.
A few months ago, I wrote that I would only want him back if he was truly ready. Otherwise, I’d rather see him sit out the entire season and return fully healthy and in basketball shape for the 2026-27 season.
Well, Tatum returned March 6 against the Dallas Mavericks. Despite some early rust, he looks good. Fast forward to now, and he has played in four of the past five games and has been one of the Celtics’ best players.
Through those four games, he’s averaging 19.8 points, 4.5 assists and 8.5 rebounds. The only concerning part of his return has been his shooting percentage. He’s shooting just 40% from the field and 27.5% from 3-point range. I won’t be too hard on him. He hadn’t played a competitive game in 10 months, so adjusting to the speed of the game takes time.
However, I’ve been very impressed with Tatum’s playmaking ability. It has always been one of the more underrated parts of his game. The psychological difference when he’s on the court for opponents is night and day. Defenses now have to focus not just on Jaylen Brown, but on both stars. That allows Tatum to make the right reads, leading to more open looks for role players like Sam Hauser, Hugo González and Baylor Scheierman.
Some nights the Celtics need scoring. Other nights they need playmaking and defense. Each time, Tatum has stepped up and delivered. Head coach Joe Mazzulla credited Tatum for doing what each game asks of him.
“Just giving the game what it needs,” Mazzulla said. “Just the details, the simple things. Continuing to get in shape. But right now, the most important thing is just giving the game what it needs on both ends of the floor.”
Tatum logged his most minutes over the weekend against the Washington Wizards, playing 32. In the previous three games, he played exactly 27 minutes. Tatum was at the 27-minute mark when Mazzulla pulled him before putting him back in when the Wizards started to mount a comeback.
With 15 games remaining, I don’t expect Tatum to play in every game, especially the back-to-backs in April against the Knicks and the Pelicans. This stretch is the perfect opportunity for Tatum to ramp up and hopefully be in game shape by the time the playoffs arrive. Boston is four games behind Detroit, so there’s still hope it can finish as the No. 1 seed.
The Celtics did a great job while waiting for Tatum to return. Now it’s about making sure he feels comfortable with his teammates and his body as they push for Banner 19.
