It might sound wild to say it, but just weeks back from his return from an Achilles tendon injury, star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is looking like his old self, and was the driving force in a Celtics road win vs. the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday (March 29) evening.
The Celtics came away with a 114-99 victory to get a modicum of comeuppance for their recent home loss to Charlotte thanks in large part to the St. Louis native. “Just making the right reads,” said Tatum of how the game came to him. “It’s the NBA. They’re one of the hottest teams, especially after All-Star break, so we knew they were going to make a run.”
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For the Duke alum, it was about finding the matchup he wanted. “They started doubling, so just making the right read out of that,” he explained.
Mar 29, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Boston Celtics forward/guard Jayson Tatum (0) is interviewed by NBC Sports Boston reporter Abby Chin following the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images
“I’m obviously I’m still working through it, but I say all the time, I just want to feel better than I did last game and feel stronger, feel more confident, get my conditioning up,” said Tatum. “So that’s what I’m trying to do.”
The victory was the 50th of the Celtics so-called (at least by many fans and analysts) ‘gap year.’ Asked about that dynamic, Tatum stated it “speaks to the character of the organization, to the coaching staff, front office, to the to the players, the standard. The culture that we built since I’ve been here, you don’t take it for granted it’s just how we approach every single day – and winning is hard in this league!”
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jayson Tatum on Celtics 50th win, being youngest to hit 14k points