Celtics Get Tough Message About Jayson Tatum’s Potential Return

Over the last couple of months, a lot of talk has circled around Boston Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum.

After suffering a torn Achilles during the NBA Playoffs last season against the New York Knicks, Tatum has been working hard to return to the court this year. A new update seems to come out about his status every week.

While the idea of Tatum returning to game action is fun to think about, it could actually end up hurting the Celtics.

At this point in the season, Boston holds a 39-20 record. The Celtics are currently the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Tatum’s return could help them towards an NBA Finals run, or it could disrupt how the team has been playing without him.

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Boston Celtics Given Tough Message About Jayson Tatum’s Potential Return

Former NBA point guard and No. 2 overall pick Jay Williams spoke out about the matter during an appearance on “Get Up.”

“Everybody says, ‘Oh, he’ll come back’—Do you know how hard it is to come back when you’re thinking about coming back in March or April for a guy like this? Just to fit all the sudden into this system seamlessly, and they’re going to find their rhythm?” Williams said.

“This whole team has been playing without him for a long period of time and playing very well. You’re going to disrupt that.”

Williams makes a good argument. Without Tatum on the court, Boston has been a legitimate contender in the East. Having him come back could mess with the chemistry that the team has built up together.

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Jaylen Brown Has Picked Up Where Jayson Tatum Left Off

Coming into the 2025-26 NBA season, the Celtics needed Jaylen Brown to step up into a No. 1 role. He has been a top-tier No. 2 behind Tatum in recent years, but has more than risen up to the challenge this season.

Brown has played in 53 games, averaging 29.1 points per game to go along with 7.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and a steal. He has also shot 48.1 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from three-point range.

Boston has a legitimate chance at making an NBA Finals run with Brown being the lead man.

LeBron James has taken notice of what Brown has done this season. He recently spoke out and made it clear that he believes the Celtics star should be in the MVP conversation.

This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about some as well,” James said. “Nobody gave them a shot to start the season, and he’s averaging like what, 30? Just under 30. It’s a popularity contest sometimes. I don’t know the criteria of MVP anymore. I stopped giving a damn about it a long time ago. I got my own personal issues about it.”

No one knows for sure whether or not Tatum will return to play this season. He’s still aiming to accomplish that goal, but with or without him Boston will be a team to watch come playoff time.

Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey