Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla recently stopped by 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand” show to talk about where the team is in the midst of excellent play pushing the team into the top half of the East standings, and the topic of injured Celtics star Jayson Tatum came up. The St. Louis native has been around the team a lot this season while rehabbing his torn Achilles tendon suffered in the 2025 Eastern Semifinals vs. the New York Knicks, and has been a positive force around the team even though he is not yet ready to play.
Asked if he might end up coaching with this sort of experience now under his belt, the Celtics coach replied that Tatum says he doesn’t want to, but “has an innate ability to process the game in real time” and can “take what he sees on film and apply it to the game right away.” Joking, he said that if he is smart, “he’ll never get into coaching.” Using his own time injured in college that forced him to see the game in a less emotional light, Mazzulla added “I think he’s processing the game differently, being on the bench with us, being next to the coaches, hearing all the conversations.”
“It’s not just the film,” he said. “I think he’s processing the game in a different way, just because of the perspective that he has.”
As to whether he still thinks Tatum might be on track for a February return, the Celtics coach said “he’s doing a heck of a job … his job right now is to put himself in position to come back when he’s healthy.”
“The other thing that I really appreciate is the way he’s having leadership, being on the bench during the games. Traveling with us at film sessions is always there. And so there’s never been a moment where it felt like he wasn’t with us, and I think that’s important as he continues to get better.”
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