Former Duke Blue Devils star Jayson Tatum seems to be headed toward a dangerous decision with the Boston Celtics.
Last May, former Duke Blue Devils star Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles during a Boston Celtics playoff game, putting his 2025-26 NBA campaign in jeopardy.
At the time, most felt that Tatum would be out for the ensuing season, especially after the Celtics subtracted Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Kornet over the summer.
Why risk bringing Tatum back if Boston was just going to miss the playoffs?
However, circumstances have changed.
Not only are the Celtics playoff contenders, but they are 24-14 and currently the No. 3 seed in a very weak Eastern Conference.
Boston appears to have a legitimate chance to make a deep playoff run, and Tatum wants to be a part of it. As a result, the Duke legend is trying to expedite his rehab.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated has revealed that Tatum might actually be back within a month.
“Everything I’ve heard is that he is going to push really hard in February, March to get back out there on the floor and be there with the team for most of the second half of this season,” Mannix said during a recent appearance on the NBA on NBC.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images.Tatum is one of the best players in basketball when healthy, but the chances of him being close to 100 percent at any point this season seem very slim. It stands to reason that he might not even return to being his complete self until 2027-28.
Returning from an Achilles tear within nine months is certainly risky, especially for a player like Tatum, who signed a five-year, $314 million contract extension with the Celtics in July 2024.
That being said, if Boston felt Tatum had a serious chance of re-injury, it certainly wouldn't be alright with him getting back on the floor this quickly.
Tatum spent one season at Duke in 2016-17, averaging 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He was then selected by the Celtics with the third overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.
The 27-year-old has since made six NBA All-Star appearances while earning four First-Team All-NBA selections. Most importantly, Tatum led Boston to a championship in 2023-24.
Tatum also accepted a job as Duke's chief basketball officer before the start of the 2025-26 college basketball season.