[Forsberg] Ramp to Camp: Predicting Jayson Tatum’s return date for Celtics
September 23, 2025
[Forsberg] Ramp to Camp: Predicting Jayson Tatum’s return date for Celtics
14 comments
From Chris Forsberg:
First, all the necessary disclaimers: None of our prognosticators are doctors. No one can possibly know how Tatum’s rehab will progress from this moment. But using glimpses from his first 17 weeks of recovery as a guide, we’re tossing some darts at the calendar.
… Tatum celebrates his 28th birthday on March 3, 2026. That would be slightly more than nine months removed from his injury. If doctors are certain he wouldn’t be putting himself at risk by using late-season games to shake some rust — all while pacing himself in the early stages of that return — we could see Wednesday, March 4 being a belated birthday gift to himself.
The Hornets might not necessarily be a circle-the-date matchup on the surface, but Tatum would have a bunch of Duke fans watching the Hornets broadcast back in North Carolina.
The way the reporting has been, I’ll be surprised if he misses the preseason. He is seemingly the healthiest man on the planet according to sources
The fastest was Kobe at 8 months, and he immediately suffered a probably related lower leg injury after 6 games. I’d be happy to see a little runout towards the end of the season at low intensity, but I would rather him miss the year.
Since there are so many threads about Tatum’s return and the possibility of tanking next year, how does everyone’s opinion change if we are in the playoffs? As a hypothetical situation, what if Brown and White have all-star caliber seasons, PP/Hauser do great, and Queta and others take huge steps forward? If we look like legit contenders to come out of the East, would people still not want Tatum to come back until Fall 2026?
He said on ESPN that he plans to play his first game back at a home game.
Please please please please make it Oct 2026.
The future of this organization rests on the shoulders of #0 and our greatest priority is making sure he has a long and healthy career
Brown and White have both played a ton of basketball the last couple of years, Jaylen in particular has gone to the ECF or further basically every year of his career. I would be ok if they played 82 games *combined* next year
We need to develop young talent, find a center round out the starting lineup and allow our veterans a chance to recover. Even if Tatum returns and is 90% what we saw last year we are not contenders next year. We need to be patient
He’s playing this year like I expected
If we have a team which is playing well and can realistically progress in the playoffs I’d be happy for a return after the All Star break IF he is 100% recovered and passes all relevant tests. I don’t think he’s the sort of athlete to not play if he’s ready to.
It feels weird but not surprising if he comes back in the upcoming season, but I hope that he could rest for the whole season.
Take a year off. Team is not good enough to contend.
The suns gave Devin booker 145 mil for 2 years ! Lmao 10 games under 500 last season
Take the year off. We need a high pick for next year. Even with Tatum back our team isn’t good enough to compete for a championship
14 comments
From Chris Forsberg:
First, all the necessary disclaimers: None of our prognosticators are doctors. No one can possibly know how Tatum’s rehab will progress from this moment. But using glimpses from his first 17 weeks of recovery as a guide, we’re tossing some darts at the calendar.
… Tatum celebrates his 28th birthday on March 3, 2026. That would be slightly more than nine months removed from his injury. If doctors are certain he wouldn’t be putting himself at risk by using late-season games to shake some rust — all while pacing himself in the early stages of that return — we could see Wednesday, March 4 being a belated birthday gift to himself.
The Hornets might not necessarily be a circle-the-date matchup on the surface, but Tatum would have a bunch of Duke fans watching the Hornets broadcast back in North Carolina.
[Read more here](https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/ramp-to-camp-jayson-tatum-return-date-prediction/733484/).
My preference is for fall 2026.
The way the reporting has been, I’ll be surprised if he misses the preseason. He is seemingly the healthiest man on the planet according to sources
The fastest was Kobe at 8 months, and he immediately suffered a probably related lower leg injury after 6 games. I’d be happy to see a little runout towards the end of the season at low intensity, but I would rather him miss the year.
Since there are so many threads about Tatum’s return and the possibility of tanking next year, how does everyone’s opinion change if we are in the playoffs? As a hypothetical situation, what if Brown and White have all-star caliber seasons, PP/Hauser do great, and Queta and others take huge steps forward? If we look like legit contenders to come out of the East, would people still not want Tatum to come back until Fall 2026?
He said on ESPN that he plans to play his first game back at a home game.
Please please please please make it Oct 2026.
The future of this organization rests on the shoulders of #0 and our greatest priority is making sure he has a long and healthy career
Brown and White have both played a ton of basketball the last couple of years, Jaylen in particular has gone to the ECF or further basically every year of his career. I would be ok if they played 82 games *combined* next year
We need to develop young talent, find a center round out the starting lineup and allow our veterans a chance to recover. Even if Tatum returns and is 90% what we saw last year we are not contenders next year. We need to be patient
He’s playing this year like I expected
If we have a team which is playing well and can realistically progress in the playoffs I’d be happy for a return after the All Star break IF he is 100% recovered and passes all relevant tests. I don’t think he’s the sort of athlete to not play if he’s ready to.
It feels weird but not surprising if he comes back in the upcoming season, but I hope that he could rest for the whole season.
Take a year off. Team is not good enough to contend.
The suns gave Devin booker 145 mil for 2 years ! Lmao 10 games under 500 last season
Take the year off. We need a high pick for next year. Even with Tatum back our team isn’t good enough to compete for a championship