Inside The Celtics

Report: Jayson Tatum 'reevaluating his situation,' return this season 'up in the air.'

Jayson Tatum seems to be pretty close to returning from his Achilles injury, but a new report suggests he might be hesitating, and it's possible he won't play at all this season.
John Karalis|
Dec 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Injured Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (M) looks on from the bench against the Washington Wizards in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Injured Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (M) looks on from the bench against the Washington Wizards in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Jayson Tatum has been very public about his desire to come back and play this season. Back in September, Tatum went on a media blitz explaining his rehab and his goals. 

“I think for me and my team, the doctor, the organization, the most important thing is making the full recovery, right? Being back 100%, not rushing it,” Tatum explained on ESPN. “But I haven't said I'm not playing this season or anything like that. I have a goal in my mind. What I will say is, I'm not working out, rehabbing six days a week for no reason.”

That message is pretty clear. Tatum’s goal, should his body cooperate, is to return to action this season. His actions have backed up those words, with more intense workouts, some in the public eye, and appearances on various podcasts leaving little doubt about trying to live up to that goal. 

That is, until his appearance on “The Pivot” podcast, where he expressed some hesitance to rejoin a team that's already a work in progress. 

“They have an identity this year … and it's been successful,” he said. “So there's a thought in my head … how does that look with me integrating myself off an injury and 50-60 games into a season? Obviously could 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 like two weeks or so, kind of just kind of contemplate every single day.”

That feeling was confirmed by Chris Haynes on NBA TV, reporting that “Jayson Tatum is now reevaluating his situation, and it is up in the air on if he’s going to return at all this season.”

There are always two elements to overcoming a catastrophic injury. There's the physical rehabilitation and the mental readiness to play. Players need to be fully healthy and fully confident that their bodies will be able to handle the return to action. 

But worrying about disrupting his team’s flow and chemistry is different. It’s hard to imagine his team caring much about working him back into the rotation. 

“If he is going to return, we’re going to welcome him with open arms, for sure,” Sam Hauser said after the Celtics loss to Atlanta Wednesday night. “He’s such a great player, and any time you can have the luxury of adding a player that into your rotation, it’s pretty exciting.”

Whether Tatum returns to action or not has always been his call once he’s cleared medically. After doctors and trainers give him the green light, it’s up to him to decide for himself is he’s ready to get back on the floor. 

And there are advantages to coming back this season, like knocking off the significant rust, and getting some reps with guys he hasn’t played with before. 

Haynes reported that there are a “couple of factors” involved in the hesitance to push for a return this season, but didn’t say what those were. If one of them is physical or mental, then he obviously will need to work through those before he comes back. 

But if it’s about team chemistry and disrupting the Celtics, it may be better to work through them now rather than push them into next season. 

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John Karalis
JOHN KARALIS

John Karalis was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI. He graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball and was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society. He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Men’s Basketball team, and remains one of the school's top all-time scorers, and Emerson's all-time leading rebounder. He is also the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball (Greece). John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997. He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor. He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018. John is one of Boston’s original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006. In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com and then went to Boston Sports Journal in 2021, where he covered the Celtics for five years. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.

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