Former Duke Blue Devils star Jayson Tatum has revealed some disappointing news.
Former Duke Blue Devils star Jayson Tatum is still rehabbing a torn Achilles injury he suffered during the Boston Celtics' NBA playoff run last May, and while he has made tremendous progress, he still has not returned to the floor.
Based on how many strides Tatum had been taking early on in his recovery, some were under the assumption that the 27-year-old could potentially re-join the Celtics in the middle of the 2025-26 campaign, but that doesn't look to be a sure thing anymore.
In fact, it's actually looking less likely.
While speculation has run rampant about Tatum possibly coming back after the All-Star break, the Duke legend has told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that he still has not made a decision on whether or not he will be returning this season.
This should not come as a surprise to anyone, but it will surely serve as disappointing news to those who were expecting Tatum to play at some point this year.
Of course, Tatum himself never guaranteed he would be returning so soon; that was all conjecture. And it has only picked up steam given how well Boston has been playing and after the Celtics acquired Nikola Vucevic at the NBA trade deadline.
But if you think logically, it never made a ton of sense for Tatum to retake the floor during the 2025-26 season.
Jayson Tatum. Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images.Even though Boston has been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season, it seems hard to imagine the C's winning a championship, and you have to question just how much Tatum would be able to contribute anyway.
The six-time All-Star has not seen live game action in nine months, and you have to figure there will be plenty of rust once he does return.
There is also a whole lot of risk in Tatum — who signed a five-year, $314 million extension with the Celtics during the summer of 2024 — coming back too soon and getting injured again.
Tatum will return when he knows it's right, and that might not be until next season, regardless of how fans feel.
The St. Louis native spent one year at Duke in 2016-17, averaging 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He was then selected by Boston with the third overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.
Tatum has since established himself as one of the best players in basketball and led the Celtics to a title in 2024.
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