{"id":696439,"date":"2026-04-03T19:41:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/696439\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T19:41:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:41:28","slug":"celtics-jayson-tatum-is-starting-to-find-a-spark-in-recent-stretch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/696439\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics&#8217; Jayson Tatum is Starting to Find a Spark in Recent Stretch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2268366477-e1775241490494.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Jayson Tatum\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Celtics&#8217; Jayson Tatum is beginning to find his groove since returning from his Achilles injury, scoring 25 or more points in three straight outings.<\/p>\n<p>At the start of the 2025-26 season, there wasn\u2019t much hope for the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nba\/boston-celtics\/\" title=\"Boston Celtics\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"213805\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Boston Celtics<\/a>. Jayson Tatum\u2019s Achilles injury left uncertainty, and the Celtics decision to move on from multiple players from their 2024 title run due to financial cuts brought in new faces.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to six games remaining in the regular season, and the Celtics are rolling as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/standings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">No. 2 seed in the East.<\/a> Jaylen Brown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/news\/kia-mvp-ladder-april-3-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">inserted his name in the NBA MVP talks<\/a>, and Jayson Tatum is returning to full form after making his return in March.<\/p>\n<p>Tatum\u2019s first nine games were for him to get back into the groove, playing limited minutes. Now the 28-year-old superstar is finding his stride.<\/p>\n<p>Jayson Tatum Registers 25+ Points in Three Straight<\/p>\n<p>It took Jayson Tatum just 11 months to get back into action for the Celtics. He suffered the right Achilles tear on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/45149253\/jayson-tatum-achilles-tear-celtics-star-faces-recovery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">May 12 in Boston\u2019s semifinals loss to the New York Knicks<\/a> in the NBA Playoffs. As quick as his recovery was, many didn\u2019t know what to expect from Tatum in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/48123442\/celtics-jayson-tatum-achilles-available-return-friday\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">rapid return to the court.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It started out with some growing pains. He averaged just 19.1 points per game over his first nine games but made his presence known on the boards and in assists, averaging 9.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in that span.<\/p>\n<p>Tatum has since flipped another switch in his game. It began in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/game\/_\/gameId\/401810922\/hawks-celtics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Celtics\u2019 109-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks on March 27.<\/a> He finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. This was the first time Tatum scored 25 or more points since making his return.<\/p>\n<p>He hasn\u2019t been cleared to play in Boston\u2019s back-to-back sets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonherald.com\/2026\/03\/12\/why-celtics-ruled-out-jayson-tatum-for-matchup-vs-thunder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">due to injury management,<\/a> but Tatum followed up the scoring outing with a 32-point performance in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/game\/_\/gameId\/401810940\/celtics-hornets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">the Celtics win over the Charlotte Hornets on March 29<\/a>, and a 25-point outing in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/game\/_\/gameId\/401810961\/celtics-heat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">win over the Miami Heat on April 1.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>That makes for three straight 25+ point outings for Jayson Tatum. It may not seem like he\u2019s quite at full strength, but he\u2019s starting to catch a stride for the Celtics just in time for the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nba\/\" title=\"NBA\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"213806\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NBA<\/a> Playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>The Boston Celtics\u2019 Impressive 2025-26 Season<\/p>\n<p>Entering the regular season, Boston was without familiar names like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet. All were key players in their championship run in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>It was because the Celtics\u2019 salary cap <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/46453380\/al-horford-warriors-were-obvious-choice-leaving-celtics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">was flirting with the NBA\u2019s second apron.<\/a> Moving on from these players, who were carrying significant contract costs, helped avoid roster restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>This didn\u2019t stop Boston from the same winning pattern they have had over the past decade. Jaylen Brown has stepped up tremendously with career-high numbers. In 67 appearances, Brown is averaging 28.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. 2025 Sixth Man of the Year Paton Pritchard has done the same with an increased role, averaging 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.<\/p>\n<p>Not to mention Derrick White, who\u2019s always made the adjustments when Boston has needed him most. He\u2019s averaged 16.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists this season, while carrying a defensive impact that doesn\u2019t get talked about enough.<\/p>\n<p>The Boston Celtics have set them selves up in a perfect position to, yet again, make a strong push for another NBA title this year. They currently sit as the two-seed in the East, and still have a chance of passing the No. 1 <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nba\/detroit-pistons\/\" title=\"Detroit Pistons\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"213804\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Detroit Pistons<\/a>. Detroit has a 4.5-game lead over the Celtics.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/toranflores\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Toran Flores<\/a> is a sports reporter located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He&#8217;s covered news in the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. His work has been featured on platforms like FanSided, Athlon Sports, The Sporting News, Lakers All Day Everyday, and others.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nIn his free time, Toran enjoys spending time with family and friends, staying active, and traveling. <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/toranflores\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Toran Flores<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Celtics\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Celtics&#8217; Jayson Tatum is beginning to find his groove since returning from his Achilles injury, scoring 25&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":696440,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3766],"tags":[7,45,75,3798,46,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-696439","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boston-celtics","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-boston","10":"tag-boston-celtics","11":"tag-bostonceltics","12":"tag-celtics","13":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116342482977033364","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696439\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/696440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=696439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=696439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}