Jayson Tatum can be publicly noncommittal about his return all he wants, but all the signs very clearly point to him coming back soon. 

And it’s not really a bold statement to say he’ll change things whenever he does. He’s one of the best players in the world, so eventually, he’ll make the team a lot better. At the same time, his initial return is still part of his rehab, so there might be some minor disruptions between his first game back and when he feels like his usual self. 

Some things will change. Here are three players with the most to gain when Tatum comes back. 

Sam Hauser 

I don’t expect Tatum to start right away, but we know that’s where he’ll end up. We also know Derrick White and Jaylen Brown will start, and they’ll probably be joined by either Nikola Vucevic or Neemias Queta. That leaves a slot at the four spot. 

The Celtics will want as much shooting on the floor as possible to open up driving lanes for Tatum and Brown, so it makes sense for Hauser to get the regular call there. As I wrote when grading the Celtics at the break, Hauser has shown a more complete game with his rebounding, defense, and passing, and all of those will be significant next to Tatum. 

But let’s focus on the obvious. Tatum’s return will mean less attention on the role players. And being in the starting lineup with Tatum, Brown, and White means the fourth-best wing defender will be on Hauser. The other three guys will demand a lot of attention, and Hauser is elite at moving without the ball. 

Tatum coming back will mean a lot more open looks for Hauser. This is the first season where Hauser has been below 40% three-point shooting heading into the All-Star break. He could be in line for a super-hot close to the season with Tatum on the floor with him. 

Nikola Vucevic

He is the type of big Tatum is used to playing with, and running some of the old Al Horford/Kristaps Porzingis plays could open up a lot for Vucevic. 

The Celtics are going to want a floor spacer to take a body out of Tatum’s way on drives, so Vucevic will very likely move back into the starting lineup no later than when Tatum is ready to start as well. So right away, he’ll see the immediate benefit of playing time. 

But beyond that, he has a chance to establish a strong rapport with Tatum in a short amount of time. And having Tatum on your side is a pretty big deal for a 35-year-old soon-to-be free agent. 

I don’t know what the market will be for Vucevic this summer, but I can guarantee you it won’t be very much at this point in his career. My guess is that it maxes out at the taxpayer mid-level exception, which is about $6.1 million. If Vucevic builds some real chemistry with Tatum, we could see Tatum advocate for bringing Vucevic back. 

Of course, Tatum has notoriously maintained silence when it comes to team roster moves, but his input is still valuable. Vucevic making Tatum’s life as easy as possible could end up netting him a few more million from a team looking to keep their star happy. 

Related: Boston Celtics Mailbag: Jayson Tatum’s Fit, Nikola Vucevic’s Defense, and Tanking

Derrick White

White has probably had to adjust more than anyone with Tatum gone. He’s taken on a much bigger distribution and off-the-dribble game than in years past. 

According to Synergy Sports Data, White is the pick-and-roll ball handler 34.6% of his time on the floor, and he spots up 24.8% of the time this season. That is a complete flip from last season, where he spotted up 34.1% of the time and was the pick-and-roll ball handler for 22.8%. 

His point production in pick-and-rolls is about the same, .954 points per possession versus .964 last season. But the spot-ups have dropped to .940 from 1.288. 

To put that in plainer English, White is good but not great at scoring off the pick-and-roll. Last season he was deadly in spot-ups, but this year he’s actually below average. That means this year, we’re getting a higher percentage of good but not great, and we’re not seeing “deadly” in anything. 

Tatum’s return will snap his shot profile back into a more comfortable place, and White can get back to being an offensive force more often. His shooting this year has been a problem, but he’s so good defensively that he’s still been a net positive by a comfortable margin. 

With Tatum back, we could see his offensive numbers recalibrate, and he can get back to being the plus/minus monster we’ve seen in years past.