Despite being five months removed from suffering a torn Achilles tendon, Jayson Tatum appears to be on track for an in-season return to the Boston Celtics rotation. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, and the four-time All-NBA First-Team selection still has a long way to go before being cleared for on-court activity. Nevertheless, the signs are hopeful, and it’s understandable why Celtics fans are confident Tatum will suit up at some point in the season.

If Tatum does slide back into Joe Mazzulla’s rotation, it will take him a while to get back up to game speed. Fortunately, processing speed, passing ability, and feel for the game aren’t something that an injury can derail. Therefore, Tatum could still be impactful as a playmaker and shot creator for others as he gets his fitness and overall skill level back to its peak.

According to Adam Kaufman and Evan Valenti, speaking via a recent episode of the “Celtics Beat” podcast, Tatum’s return to the Celtics rotation could kickstart a potential push for postseason basketball. The duo did stop short of predicting how far Boston would go in the playoffs, likely due to the lack of high-level depth and proven talent on the roster. Nevertheless, it’s clear that Tatum is expected to raise the Celtics’ floor and ceiling once cleared to play.

You can watch the full podcast episode by clicking on the embedded video above.

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