Celtics' Jayson Tatum Provides Major Update on Potential Late-Season Return

Oct 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

If you didn't know any better and watched any of the recent videos of Jayson Tatum running, shooting or even dunking a basketball, you might not have suspected that the six-time All-Star suffered a heartbreaking Achilles tear just over five months ago.

Despite not knowing whether he will be able to return at any point over the 2025-26 season, Tatum has been attacking his rehab as he works to overcome an injury that normally knocks out elite athletes for nine to 12 months.

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Despite a desire to get back to live game action as soon as possible, Tatum is exercising caution against being overly aggressive in his recovery process instead of merely letting time pass.

"Time is obviously important, but you have to hit certain benchmarks," Tatum told Poker Strategy. "The most important thing is all these tests of your strength, the strength in your calf, the strength in your leg. Getting into the same strength as your left calf or even stronger."

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Beyond getting Tatum back on the court in time for a potential playoff run, the Celtics' main priority is to avoid re-aggravating the injury. While Tatum said the risk of re-injury is low, making sure he's at full health will be of the utmost importance for the Celtics.

"Nobody's pressuring me," Tatum said. "The team, the doctor, the organization, everybody is just like, 'We want you to be 100% before you come back.'"

In the meantime, Tatum has been approaching film sessions and other team activities as if he were preparing for the start of the 2025-26 season.

"I'm there every day I practice," Tatum said. "I'm not practicing with them, but I'm in all the film sessions. When they're on the court practicing, I'm rehabbing and doing my stuff. But I've been there every day with them."

Achilles tears have unfortunately afflicted numerous notable players over the past year, including Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Dejounte Murray. Tatum said that he's kept in touch with other players who are recovering from their respective Achilles injuries as they all work towards a common goal."

"The most important thing is everybody being back to their elite selves," Tatum said. "Everybody's at different stages, at different points in their career. Nobody's rushing back. We all want each other to come back as healthy and as strong as possible. We're all rooting for each other, but I don't think it's competition or who comes back first or anything like that."

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