NBA Scout Questions If Celtics' Jayson Tatum Is 'Same Guy' After Recovery from Achilles Injury

As the very early takeaways from the 2026-27 NBA season come pouring in, one thing people in the league are keeping an eye on is Jayson Tatum as he still rounds into form following his Achilles injury from May 2025.

An NBA scout who was in attendance for Tuesday's season-opening game between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons told ESPN's Tim MacMahon they have questions about whether or not Tatum can be the "same guy" going forward:

"I do wonder if he's the same guy. Does he have the same burst and explosion? I'm not going to overreact to one game, but if the free throw numbers are down in December, that's an indication that he's not back to being himself coming off that Achilles. It's a telltale sign when guys are shooting jumpers instead of getting to the rim like they used to."

Tatum finished 6-of-23 (0-of-7 from three) with 13 points against the Pistons. Boston blew a 22-point lead, including allowing Detroit to go on a 23-0 run in the fourth quarter, in the 121-113 loss.

After tearing his Achilles in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semfinals against the New York Knicks in May 2025, Tatum returned 10 months later. He has played in 23 games between the regular season and playoffs since returning.

Tatum is only shooting 40.9 percent from the field in those 23 games, down nearly five full percentage points from his career mark of 45.7. Another notable stat from this period is he is only averaging 4.7 free-throw attempts in 17 regular-season games, including one in the loss to Detroit.

In four seasons from 2021 to '25, Tatum never averaged fewer than 6.1 free-throw attempts per game.

The Celtics traded Jaylen Brown away in the offseason, likely betting on Tatum returning to being an MVP-caliber star to carry them. It's still very early in his return to make any sweeping judgements, but some of his statisical performance suggests he might be reluctant to play as aggressive as he did prior to the injury.