Celtics Won't Give Jayson Tatum Edict on Return From Achilles Injury

Jayson Tatum's Achilles tendon tear, one he suffered during the Boston Celtics' Eastern Conference Semifinals series loss to the New York Knicks, has not caused the team to fall apart during the 2025-26 campaign.

Because of that, Brad Stevens has a mandate to put this team in a position to win. Jaylen Brown's historic play this season cannot go to waste, and Tatum's recovery from the aforementioned Achilles tear is going as well as possible.

MassLive's Brian Robb has heard from sources that the organization will not stand in the way if Tatum feels he can return to the floor. Robb specifically named Celtics trainer Nick Sang as someone who will have a say in Tatum's decision.

"The Celtics have a great training staff that will be in on any decision as will Tatum’s own team including C’s trainer Nick Sang. He will get clearance for 5-on-5 from the medical staff and his trainers. From there, it probably just comes down to how Tatum is feeling and whether the Celtics as an organization want to give him the green light. With the way the Celtics are playing, it’s hard to envision the team standing in his way in any form once he feels ready to go and has hit his checkpoints," Robb wrote.

Joe Mazzulla Not Rushing Jayson Tatum Back

Head coach Joe Mazzulla is proving his merits this season, engineering a 15-10 record through the season's first 25 games without the team's best player. That there are questions about building around Brown proves that he's been able to thrive without No. 0.

Mazzulla doesn't want to rush Tatum back, and is content with the leadership he's providing off the court.

“It’s all up to him. At the end of the day, his health is the most important thing,” Mazzulla said. “The only thing that I care about is his presence and his leadership, and he’s doing that in different ways. On the bench in games, communicating with guys, in film sessions, traveling with us. At the end of the day, he’s on our team, he’s a part of our team, he’s helping us get better, and then everything else comes down to him and the people around him, and you trust that.”

Tatum is in one of the best positions an injured player has ever been in. His team is good enough without him for his presence to be what could take them over the top, and they have the assets to make the team better once he's back.