Jayson Tatum’s road back from an Achilles rupture has been long, quiet, and intensely focused - but now, it’s starting to feel very real. The Boston Celtics star, sidelined since last May, is inching closer to a return that could shake up the Eastern Conference playoff picture. And based on some recent developments, that return might be coming sooner than expected.
Tatum has officially been cleared to practice with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate. That’s a major milestone in his recovery - not just symbolic, but functional.
It means he’s moving well enough to handle the physical demands of live practice, even if it’s not yet at NBA speed. For a player coming off a serious Achilles injury, that’s a crucial step, and it signals that he’s entering the final stages of rehab.
But the real intrigue? It’s in the calendar.
The Celtics’ March 1 home game against the Philadelphia 76ers - a rivalry matchup already carrying weight - was recently bumped from a 6 p.m. to an 8 p.m. ET tip-off.
That’s not just a scheduling tweak. It’s the kind of adjustment that raises eyebrows, especially when paired with a sudden spike in ticket prices for Boston’s March 6 game against the Dallas Mavericks, which just so happens to feature Maine native and rising star Cooper Flagg.
Is something brewing? Celtics fans - and a few plugged-in voices - think so.
Bill Simmons, a longtime Celtics observer with a knack for connecting the dots, believes Tatum’s return is right around the corner. “I had been hearing first week of March for a while,” Simmons said recently. “It’s really starting to look like March 1st or March 6th, but my money would be on March 1st now for him.”
If that timeline holds, Tatum would have up to 23 games to ramp up before the postseason. That’s a solid runway - not just to get his legs back under him, but to reintegrate into a Celtics squad that’s held its own in his absence.
Boston currently sits at 35-19, good for the No. 2 seed in the East, trailing only the surprising Detroit Pistons by 5.5 games. Even without home court advantage in a potential conference finals matchup, the Celtics would feel a whole lot better about their title chances with a healthy Tatum back in the mix - especially if he resembles the five-time All-NBA force we’ve seen in recent years.
Tatum’s return wouldn’t just be a boost - it could be a turning point. This is a team that’s already shown resilience and depth, and adding back their franchise cornerstone could be the move that tips the balance in the East.
All eyes are now on March 1. If Tatum steps back onto the court that night, it won’t just be a comeback - it’ll be a statement.