Jayson Tatum Wonders How He'll Fit in With New Look Celtics If He Returns This Season

The Celtics star has "contemplated" how he'll fit in on the court if he returns this season.

Celtics star Jayson Tatum could return later this season from a torn Achilles. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The 2025-26 Celtics were supposed to experience a gap year in contending for NBA titles out of the Eastern Conference.

Boston spent its offseason offloading key members of its rotation from the 2023-24 championship team, including Jrue Holiday (traded to Trail Blazers), Kristaps Porzingis (trade to Hawks), Al Horford (left for Warriors in free agency) and Luke Kornet (left for Spurs in free agency).

Losing those core rotation pieces hurt, but not as much as losing Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles in the second-round playoff loss to the Knicks last season.

But as the Celtics have unexpectedly surged to the second-seed in the East this season behind the play of All-NBA candidate Jaylen Brown, Boston has turned into a potential buyer at the deadline and true playoff threat if Tatum returns to the lineup.

Tatum has expressed a desire to return from Achilles repair rehab to play this season, but in an appearance on The Pivot podcast this week, the Celtics star expressed concern about upsetting the chemistry in Boston's new-look rotation.

"That's something I contemplate every day," Tatum said of his fit when he returns. "More so about the team, if or when I do come back this season, they would've played 50 some-odd games without me. So they have an identity this year or things that they felt have clicked for them, and it's been successful, right? Third or second team in the East up to this point. So thre is a thought in my head that's like, how does that work or how does that look with me integrating myself off an injury 50-60 games into a season? There could obviously be some challenges and it is a thought like, 'Damn. Do I come back or should I wait?' It's something that I honestly, recently in the last two weeks or so, just kind of contemplate every single day."

Jayson Tatum tells @thepivot about fitting in with the Celtics if he returns this season:

"It's something that I contemplate every day."

Full Episode: https://t.co/fyv8qr303e pic.twitter.com/VemrdR0PMw

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) January 27, 2026

It's good that Tatum is contemplating what things could look like upon his return to the lineup, but there's a lot more to like about the Celtics when another All-NBA player is added into the fold.

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