Recent reports indicate that Jayson Tatum is set to make a major push to return during the Celtics' crucial stretch.

When the season began, the narrative around Boston was that if the Celtics played well enough to put themselves in a good playoff position, Jayson Tatum would return from his Achilles injury and play this year. If not, JT will sit out the entire year, the C's will likely go to the lottery, and they will return stronger next season.

Boston’s gap-year Celtics keep winning as new context around Jayson Tatum’s injury recovery quietly shifts expectations.

Jayson Tatum is out for the season with a torn achilles tendon, but he is on his way to establishing quite the legacy.

The Boston Celtics are presently ranked second in the Eastern Conference, and their performance has been so strong that it has caused a shift in the expectations set for them before the season.

Jayson Tatum bench reaction goes viral after Payton Pritchard gets postered during Boston Celtics win over Toronto Raptors.

The Boston Celtics will face the San Antonio Spurs on January 10 without star player Jayson Tatum. Tatum is recovering from Achilles surgery. The Celtics are managing without him by relying on team depth and defense.

Nevertheless, Boston Celtics fans are slowly becoming more hopeful that Tatum will return to Joe Mazzulla's rotation before the end of the season, even if it's on a minutes restriction. The fact that Boston is currently third in the Eastern Conference and on track for a potentially deep postseason run is likely playing a part in that hopeful thinking.

Tatum, who suffered an Achilles injury against the New York Knicks in last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, hasn’t been ruled out for the entire 2025-26 campaign, leaving the door open for an eventual return (especially considering the Celtics are primed to reach the postseason).

The Boston Celtics are now the second seed in the Eastern Conference after they won and the Knicks lost on Monday.

The Celtics are still riding high in the Eastern Conference, winning eight of their last ten games even after falling to the Nuggets on Wednesday night. There have been some interesting playing time decisions for that stretch with Boston’s bench, so let’s examine that situation along with some trade questions and more in this week’s mailbag.

Pacers vs. Celtics on Jan 12 pits struggling Indiana against title-chasing Boston; Jaylen Brown leads Tatum-less Celtics. Here’s where to watch live streaming and TV broadcast worldwide.