It’ll be nice to have Jayson Tatum playing for Celtics instead of performing for the camera

The best thing about Jayson Tatum returning to the lineup is that the Celtics will have a superstar back for the stretch run and the playoffs.

The second best thing will be not having to hear about his rehab anymore.

No more sweaty workout videos. No more Tatum trying to sound convincing saying he really doesn’t know if he’ll be back this year.

Since he went down with his Achilles injury in the playoffs last year, Tatum has been the featured player in a 10-month rehab that he’s turned into theater.

When he was healthy, the camera found him organically. From his game-night arrival in whatever fashion he was showing off, to being showcased on the court during the game, to the postgame press conference, Tatum got his normal helping of superstar attention. So it was impossible to tell how much he relished it and how much he would miss it.

Tatum has been treating his whole rehab process like a performance, one that seemed desperate to not be forgotten as a basketball season went on without him.

BETTING: The over/under is set at 222.5 total points on BetMGM for Wednesday’s Celtics versus Hornets matchup. Our comprehensive BetMGM Sportsbook review provides a guide on how to use their app.

Since his injury, Tatum has carried himself like the best way to repair an Achilles was to be on camera. Tatum has been releasing workout videos of his rehab since last fall, which isn’t unusual in today’s professional sports, where everything is a brand-building opportunity.

But then last month, Tatum announced “The Quiet Work,” a five-part mini-documentary series chronicling his return from surgery. There’s nothing quiet about it.

He’s not the first guy to rupture his Achilles and he won’t be the first guy to come back from it. But the documentary feels like when a based-on-a-true-story movie exaggerates the drama for effect with lines like:

“I felt like I had no hope.”

and

“It felt like my soul left my body.”

His doctors should be eligible for membership in the Screen Actors Guild.

Adding Tatum’s absence to salary cap trade departures of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis made the Celtics a great unknown going into the season. It seemed reasonable to wonder if they’d even make the playoffs. Instead, they’ve been terrific. They’ll go into Wednesday’s game with Charlotte with the second best record in the Eastern Conference.

But Tatum’s constant fueling of the “When is he coming back?” questions has yanked some of the spotlight away from their remarkable showing. That’s either selfish or oblivious.

So when he’s healthy enough to return, he should get back on the court, whether that’s a nationally televised home game against the Lakers or a Tuesday night 10 p.m. game against the Kings in Sacramento.

But Tatum has said he wants it to be a home game and the expectation is that he wants it to be a big game, preferably on national television.

There was even social media speculation that he was going to target March 14 because the date 3-14 is the same number as the area code for his beloved hometown of St. Louis.

That’s probably baloney, but it says something about Tatum, that it’s at least a little believable.

But if his decision is based on anything but medical readiness, his priorities are badly out of whack.

The decision should be made by Tatum with the endorsement of a team of doctors not his publicist or documentary director.

Tatum’s love for attention doesn’t make him different than many of his peers. In this social media age, everybody behaves like they’re living in their own documentary.

And to his credit, attention has found him for good things. He’s steered clear of scandals and he is, by all accounts, a good guy, a good teammate, a great dad and tremendous basketball player. Thankfully, the spotlight can turn back to those things soon.

The sooner the better.

It’ll be nice to have Jayson Tatum playing for Celtics instead of performing for the camera

Leave a Reply