Carmelo Anthony knows a thing or two about navigating the NBA spotlight, and during All-Star Weekend, he offered some intriguing thoughts on the Boston Celtics and their injured star Jayson Tatum. While there’s no official word yet on when - or if - Tatum will return this season, Melo’s gut is telling him something’s brewing in Boston.
“I think it’s happening,” Anthony said, hinting that a Tatum comeback could be on the horizon. “We can see, we can feel the - listen, Boston, they keep their cards to their chest.
You know what I mean? I think we all could feel something happening there.
We don’t know if JT’s going to come back.”
That’s the thing with the Celtics - they’ve long been one of the league’s most tight-lipped organizations. Injury timelines?
Rotational plans? Good luck getting a straight answer.
But when someone like Carmelo - a 10-time All-Star who’s seen just about every angle of this league - starts picking up on a shift in the air, it’s worth paying attention.
For now, the Celtics are riding the wave with Jaylen Brown leading the charge. Anthony gave props to the All-Star wing for holding things down in Tatum’s absence.
“(Jaylen Brown has) got it rolling - you understand? So JB is holding that fort down and doing what he’s got to do.”
It’s been a critical stretch for Brown, who’s not just putting up numbers but asserting himself as the engine of a Celtics team still very much in the title conversation. And if Tatum does return before season’s end? That’s where things get interesting.
“If JT could come back, I think it scares the league,” Anthony said. And he’s not wrong.
Think about it: a healthy Tatum doesn’t need to be thrown back into a 35-minute-per-night role right away. The Celtics can ease him in, manage his minutes, and let him find his rhythm without disrupting the chemistry Brown and the current rotation have built. That kind of flexibility is a luxury - and a potential nightmare for opposing defenses.
“You don’t have to really focus on implementing Jayson Tatum back into the actual lineup,” Anthony explained. “He’s going to be on limited minutes, so you can play him and figure out how you really want to implement him into the grand scheme of things and still allow Jaylen Brown to continue to lead that team for right now.”
It’s a smart take. The Celtics don’t need to rush Tatum back into a leading role. Brown is carrying the torch, and if Tatum can return gradually, Boston could become even more dangerous down the stretch.
Of course, there’s a difference between being medically cleared and being game ready - and Melo, who’s dealt with his share of injuries, knows that better than most.
“As JT gets healthier and more in shape - because game shape is totally different than getting out there and having workouts and you’re not getting bumped, you don’t get your angles - there’s certain little things within the game that you’ve got to feel comfortable and confident about as a player that a lot of people would never recognize,” Anthony said.
He’s right again. There’s a rhythm to the NBA game that you can’t replicate in a gym.
It’s the feel of navigating screens, absorbing contact, making split-second reads - the kind of stuff that only comes with live reps. And for a player like Tatum, who thrives on footwork, timing, and feel, that transition back to full-speed basketball has to be handled carefully.
So while there’s no official timetable, the signs - and the vibes - are pointing toward a potential late-season return. If Tatum does make it back, even in a limited role, the Celtics might just be the most complete team in the league. And as Carmelo Anthony said, that’s a scary thought for everyone else.