Could star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum be back on the court sooner than expected? The St. Louis native is currently in the earliest stages of recovery from a torn Achilles tendon sustained in Game 4 of the Celtics 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals second round series vs. the New York Knicks, and was initially expected to miss practically all of the coming 2025-26 NBA regular season as a result.
But rumbles that Tatum might be able to play again much sooner than a calendar year give or take a month have begun to percolate after Andscape’s Mark J. Spears revealed that the Duke alum’s father, Justin Tatum, shared a much more optimistic prognosis on ESPN’s “NBA Today”. “His dad said he expects to be out eight to nine months,” said Spears via Boston Dot Com’s Conor Ryan.
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Such a timetable is not out of the question, according to a recent article on the topic by ESPN’s Stephania Bell, who notes that the range can be as short as six months and the average being 10 for NBA athletes, depending on health, healing speed, activity level before the injury, and other factors.
When might Tatum return for Boston, then?
May 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) looks to pass in the second half during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
If this optimistic prognosis is indeed what ends up happening, that would have him back some time around January of next season to the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, give or a take a few weeks.
And with the Celtics likely to make at least some moves in the offseason to get younger and cheaper, it is not out of the question that a solid rotation wing making less money might also already be on the roster to help ease him back into action slowly.
What impact might this news have on roster building?
Apr 23, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations signs autographs before game 2 of first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
The panic-button takes that the team might be stripped down or even blown up as a result of this injury could very well be overblown, given the potential for such an outcome. And while it is all but certain that the team will make some cuts — potentially even a painful one — we do not expect the likes of Jaylen Brown or even Derrick White to be on the move given their age and contracts align with Tatum’s.
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We do expect one or possibly even both of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday being on the move, perhaps with one functioning as a means of taking on some bad, but lesser, salary for more years for an asset, or for a collection of rotation players that fit another team’s timeline less.
We also expect Boston to develop some of their younger players more in Tatum’s absence, and to potentially also cycle through two way players and undrafted prospects to find some cheap depth for the 2026-27 season, when Boston would likely look to invest in another push for a title.
How is Tatum dealing with the injury?
May 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) rushes of the ball as Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts to an injury in the second half during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Celtics run one of the tightest ships in the league, meaning you will likely learn more about that from Tatum’s Instagram than the team, but Spears did share that he’d spoken about that with the elder Tatum recently. “Jayson ended up giving him a call once he was able to,” said the Andscape senior reporter. “They cried on the phone together.”
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“Jayson was asking him, ‘Why me, Dad? Why me? Why does this have to happen to me?’ And he said, ‘Son, this is God’s will. You’re young. You’re going to get through this,’” he added, noting that Justin Tatum related that “he’s most concerned about is his son mentally.”
“This is the first time he’s ever had an injury like this before. He’s not worried about the physical; his son’s not even 30 yet,” shared Spears. “But it’s the mental part, and he feels like each day, he’ll get better.”
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Could Celtics star Jayson Tatum be back sooner than expected?