New Jayson Tatum Rumors on Celtics Injury Return Timeline amid Achilles Rehab

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum will reportedly be back this season. It's just a matter of when.

Appearing on Get Up on Wednesday morning, ESPN's Tim MacMahon said it's "a matter of when, not if" Tatum will be back with the Celtics this year:

Soon after Tatum suffered a devastating torn Achilles tendon in May, it appeared he was on track for a speedy recovery. A little over a month after the injury, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told reporters Tatum had "progressed great," though he didn't put a timeline on his return.

In September, Tatum said he hadn't ruled out playing at some point during the 2025-26 campaign, though he wasn't rushing the process.

The surgeon who operated on Tatum said that he had progressed remarkably well.

By early February, Tatum had begun playing controlled five-on-five scrimmages, and by the end of the month, he was "a full go" in practice, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Tatum, 28, is coming off a season in which he put up 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, earning his fourth consecutive All-NBA First Team nod and sixth consecutive All-Star honors.

When he suffered the injury last May, many assumed the 2025-26 season would be a down year for the Celtics, and some of their offseason moves indicated they weren't going to be competing for a championship. Yet MVP-level play from Tatum's co-star, Jalen Brown, has Boston in the mix in the East.

With the Celtics firmly in Eastern Conference title contention without Tatum, it's only fair to assume they'll be a candidate to make some noise in the playoffs if their superstar can return at even close to full strength.