Jayson Tatum is reportedly set to return this season from a torn Achilles and it can come as soon as Friday, when the Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden -- according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
The six-time All-Star sustained the season-ending injury against the New York Knicks during the second round of the 2025 Eastern Conference playoffs, and now less than 10 months later, Tatum could make his 2025-26 season-debut with 20 games left before the playoffs to give the Celtics a welcomed boost for another potential run at a championship.
"Sources tell me that Jayson Tatum has been fully cleared to play this season and is expected to make his season debut for the Celtics on Friday at [TD Garden] against the Dallas Mavericks," Charania said on ESPN's Sportscenter Thursday afternoon. "... In the last 24 hours, Tatum has been described to me as 'ready to go,' and he has checked all the boxes."
Meanwhile, the Celtics have also upgraded Tatum to questionable for Friday's matchup against the Mavs. It's the first time all season that the team has listed the star forward to anything other than out.
"The Celtics have not pressured [Tatum] throughout this process, throughout this rehab," Charania said. "They have allowed him to be in the driver seat and lead this."
Last week, Charania reported that Tatum was "a full-go in five-on-five scrimmages with the Celtics," but Tatum himself spoke to the media days prior and downplayed any sort of timeline or return date when asked about having practiced with the team.
"I do not have a date," Tatum told reporters 10 days ago. "I just take it one day at a time. I feel better than I did yesterday, and that's the most important thing. … "There was a little five-on-five."It's tough to go into detail of every single thing I do every day. But I will say getting acclimated more and doing limited things with some of the guys out there. It's all a part of the rehab."
According to Charania's report Thursday, Tatum has been playing five-on-fives over the past month, which somewhat aligns with around the timeline he participated in a practice with the Maine Celtics just prior to last month's NBA All-Star Weekend.
"He's been playing five-on-five for well over the last month, increasing his conditioning, increasing the strength in his Achilles, his calf and his feet." Charania said of Tatum's recent rehab update.
Tatum, who just turned 28-years-old this week, has been well "ahead of schedule" when it comes to a typical recovery process of a torn Achilles and it's been an on-going storyline for and already surprising Celtics roster that was not expected to compete this season never mind be a championship contender.
"Jayson Tatum made it his mission to play this season," Charania said of Tatum's potential comeback so soon. "You think about ever since the day he underwent surgery, he set a goal for himself. He had daily 2-3 sessions for his rehab, it's a stridulous process.
"My understanding is he traveled to every road game, he attended every practice for the Celtics this season. So now 295 days after the injury, 294 days after surgery, [Tatum] is set to return and he has championship aspirations. He has aspirations of contending and competing."
Without Tatum, the Celtics have been much better than most expected with Jaylen Brown leading the pack while playing like a league MVP. They have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 41-21, and the fifth-best record in the NBA, having won seven of their last 10 games.
"You think about [Tatum] and Jaylen Brown, they are as successful as a young duo as we've seen in this NBA. They've been to five conference finals, two NBA Finals, one championship together," Charania said of the Celtics All-Star duo. "Jayson Tatum is trying to come back this season to try and lift this team into championship contention."
The Celtics could be at full strength Friday when they host the Mavericks, along with rookie of the Year candidate and New England native, Cooper Flagg, who is also set to return from a leg injury. This would obviously be the first time either Tatum and Flagg (former Duke alums) are facing each other in the NBA. ESPN will have the tip-off at 7:00 pm ET.
If you haven't already, you can catch the first four episodes of Tatum's docuseries; "The Quiet Work" on his YouTube channel, as it chronicles the injury and rehab process.
Joel Pavón
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