Jayson Tatum’s First Bucket in Return Game Took a While, but It Was Worth the Wait

Jayson Tatum made his triumphant return to the court Friday as the Celtics took on the Mavericks at TD Garden.

It’s been 10 months since he last played. He tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks, which left this season in question. Every step of the way, it appeared that Tatum’s recovery was going smoothly, but a big question remained: Would the Celtics superstar play this season?

Tatum said he would wait until he felt he was at 100% to return to the court. That became the case Friday as he was available for the Celtics for the first time in 10 long months.

How Tatum would look off the accelerated return from the torn Achilles was an unknown. Some rust was expected, but coming off a seemingly smooth recovery, there’s a sense that Tatum will play a key role in Boston’s push for a title.

In the first half of his return, he played 14 minutes, scoring five points on 2-for-8 shooting. He didn’t score his first points until the final minute of the half, starting the night 0-for-6. The first bucket was well worth the wait, though, as he threw down a putback slam off a three-point miss from Payton Pritchard. The dunk sent the crowd and the Celtics’ bench wild, giving off some Klay Thompson vibes from his vicious slam in his return from injury back in 2022.

The putback dunk got Tatum going as he made a step-back three on Boston’s next possession over Mavs forward P.J. Washington.

JAYSON TATUM BACK-TO-BACK BUCKETS FOR HIS FIRST POINTS OF THE SEASON 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/2ESHmQghI4
— ESPN (@espn) March 7, 2026

After the 0-for-6 start, Tatum went 5-for-5 as he scored a quick seven points at the start of the second half. It just took the first one to get going.

What does Jayson Tatum’s return mean for the Celtics?

Heading into Tatum’s return, Boston is second place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41–21. Without its biggest star, it was fair to question what this season would look like for the Celtics. Any underwhelming expectations were quickly put to bed, however, as Jaylen Brown has had a career year while Pritchard and Derrick White have been a great supporting cast, averaging 17 points per game apiece.

Tatum’s return only gives Boston a boost with 20 games left in the regular season. The Celtics are 4 1/2 games behind the Pistons for the top seed in the East. The third-place Knicks are 1 1/2 games behind Boston, and the fourth-place Cavaliers are one additional game behind. There could be plenty of movement in playoff seeding, but Boston is shaping up to make a legitimate run at another title in a wide-open conference race.

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