One of the major themes of the 2025 NBA playoffs was that injuries to key players fundamentally changed the way fans and pundits alike thought series would play out.
The Boston Celtics were not invincible to this sort of blow, as Jayson Tatum's torn Achilles tendon during Game 4 of the team's Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against the New York Knicks proved. While Boston put up one hell of a fight without Tatum in the lineup, the Celtics didn't have enough firepower to keep pace with the Knicks and ultimately bowed out of the postseason, ending their hopes to repeat as champions, after six games.
Now, with training camps set to open league-wide by the end of the month, Tatum has provided fans with a new update on his health during an appearance on Today With Jenna & Friends, and this is enough to bring a smile to the face of every Celtics fan.
Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Doesn't Rule Out Return For 2025-26 Season
"That is the million-dollar question," Tatum said, via Bobby Krivitsky of Forbes, when asked when he thinks he'll be back on the floor. "I think for me and my team, the doctors, the organization, the most important thing is making a full recovery, [and] being back 100%. Not rushing it. But I haven't said like, 'Yo, I'm not playing this season,' or anything like that."
Like any good journalist would do in this situation, Tatum was asked a follow-up question concerning his personal goal for the work he has done with his rehab. Tatum did a good job of not locking him into a promise he isn't certain he can deliver on, but it does seem like the All-Star is doing everything in his power to return to the floor this season.
"I have a goal in my mind...I'm not working out, rehabbing six days a week for no reason," Tatum replied.
Tatum wanting to play this season and the franchise agreeing that it is in the best interest of all parties involved are two separate conversations. While there is still more than enough talent on Boston's roster for this team to be competitive while Tatum is sidelined, the odds are strong that the team is fighting for a spot in the Play-In Tournament rather than an Atlantic Division title by the time Tatum is physically ready to return.
Those are decisions for Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla, the medical team, and Tatum to work through when the time is right, though. For Celtics fans, hearing that Tatum is this confident in the work he has put in, coupled with his surgeon, Dr. Martin O'Malley, suggesting he has never had a patient recover as quickly as Tatum, is enough to make them feel better about the outlook of this group moving forward.