Why Tatum’s potential return raises questions Boston never expected to face
For months now, Jayson Tatum’s return has hovered over the Celtics’ season like an unanswered question.
Not if he would be back, but when.
The rehabilitation from his torn Achilles had been steady, public, and - until very recently - trending in one clear direction.
That direction now appears far less certain.
Late Wednesday night, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Tatum is “re-evaluating his situation” when it comes to returning this season, a notable shift from what had been widely understood - including by Haynes himself - to be an eventual comeback.
“It is up in the air on if he’s going to return at all this season,” Haynes said. “I was told there were a couple of factors of why he’s reached that point. But as of right now, that changes the whole landscape because Tatum even told me personally he was returning at some point. I was hearing he was getting close and league sources told me that the situation has changed.”
That last line is the key.
This isn’t speculation from afar. This is a player who had communicated confidence about returning, who had shown tangible progress, and who had recently given the impression that the finish line was coming into view.
Just last week in Detroit, Tatum went through a full 45-minute workout in front of reporters - dribbling, cutting, even mixing in one-on-one work with assistant coach Tony Dobbins.
The optics suggested inevitability. The reporting now suggests hesitation.
Tatum is currently eight months-and-change removed from surgery to repair his torn Achilles, which he underwent on May 13. At the time, his father Justin told ESPN’s Marc Spears that the target window for a return was eight to nine months - a timeline that placed a late-January or February comeback firmly on the table.
What’s changed isn’t the calendar. It’s the context.
Boston, against nearly every expectation, has built a legitimate contender profile without him.
Through 47 games, the Celtics sit at 29-18 and hold the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, carving out an identity that is defense-driven, balanced, and - most importantly - cohesive.
That cohesion is not theoretical. It’s been forged over four months of games, lineups, and roles that didn’t include their franchise cornerstone.
Tatum acknowledged that reality publicly this week during an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, openly wrestling with the idea of re-entering a team that has already found its footing.
“They have an identity this year or things that they felt has clicked for them and has been successful,” Tatum said on the pod. “There is a thought in my head, ‘How does that work?’ or ‘How does that look with me integrating myself off with injury and 50, 60 games into a season?’”
That internal debate has only intensified.
“Obviously, there could be some challenges. It is a thought like, ‘Damn, do I come back? Or should I wait?’ It’s something that, recently, in the last two weeks or so just kind of contemplate every single day.”
This is uncharted territory for Tatum.
For the first time in his career, he didn’t have a training camp. For the first time, the Celtics built their on-court hierarchy without him. And for the first time, the question isn’t just whether he can return - but whether doing so serves the best long-term version of both player and team.
Tatum has remained fully embedded with the group throughout the season, traveling on every road trip and sitting in on meetings and film sessions. He hasn’t disappeared. He hasn’t disengaged. But that proximity may also be sharpening the dilemma rather than easing it.
There’s still time. It’s still late January. No final decision has been made. But the tone has shifted from anticipation to contemplation, from countdown to caution.
For a Celtics team that has already defied expectations without its star, and for a superstar staring down the most delicate injury of his career, the hardest choice may not be whether to return - but whether extreme patience is the real play.
Oct 24, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum, center, looks on during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.