Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum suffered probably the worst injury any athlete could imagine during the NBA playoffs, tearing his Achilles and potentially altering the trajectory of his career.
We have seen players return from Achilles tears just fine before. Heck, Kevin Durant did it very recently. But of course, the jury is still out on Tatum, who is two seasons removed from winning his first NBA championship.
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The general consensus has been that Tatum will miss all of next season. Achilles rehabs are long and strenuous, and based on the current status of the Celtics, there doesn’t appear to be any reason to get him back on the floor anytime soon.
But is there a chance that Tatum actually plays during the 2025-26 campaign?
Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston isn’t ruling it out, stating that he doesn’t see any reason why the Celtics should be completely against the 27-year-old returning to action so long as he is cleared by doctors.
“I am not 100 percent sure it is in the best interest of the team to put Tatum back on the court this season. I am also 100 percent not a doctor,” Forsberg wrote. “If he rehabs to the point where it is both safe and beneficial for him to return to NBA action, then why procrastinate? But the state of the team, at the point Tatum might be ready to compete again, could dictate whether that’s a prudent decision.”
The last part of Forsberg’s statement is key. Will Boston actually be contending for anything other than a fringe playoff spot this year? The C’s traded Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday and also allowed Al Horford and Luke Kornet to walk via free agency, so their depth — and overall talent level — has taken a drastic hit.
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Even in the weak Eastern Conference, the Celtics probably won’t be making any sort of serious push with Tatum sidelined for at least the first half of the season, so bringing him back probably won’t make much sense for Boston.
It’s likely best for the C’s to play it as safe as possible and simply wait the entire season before permitting Tatum to get back on the hardwood.
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