Jayson Tatum Injury Update: When Will He Be Back and Return to Celtics?

The Boston Celtics currently own the 3 seed in the Eastern Conference despite Jayson Tatum being sidelined. Boston’s ceiling as a true championship contender this season will depend on whether or not Tatum can come back from an Achilles tear in record time. Below, we will look at when Tatum will return and be back with the Celtics. This injury update will dish out all of the current information available on Tatum’s recovery. We will also look at Tatum’s fantasy basketball stock, and Celtics betting odds.

⏳ When will Jayson Tatum return and be back with Celtics?

The buzz that Tatum will amazingly return this season continues to grow.

Tatum has looked quite agile in recent workout videos, and people around the Celtics are beginning to drop Easter eggs that a return is coming within the next few months.

Jaylen Brown had the following to say about Tatum’s potential return.

"JT always recovers. He just always recovers. He never really gets hurt,” Brown said. "He’ll probably break the record for the fastest recovery in Achilles history or some [expletive]. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens also spoke about his superstar player potentially returning in time for the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

“There’s strength thresholds [Tatum] has to meet. And then after that, several weeks of progressions from the standpoints of scripted against small groups, scripted against bigger groups, scripted 5-on-5, unscripted random, all the way through those,” Stevens said on Dec. 17. “We’re not putting a timeline on it, as we haven’t the whole time. One of the things everybody can see is that we didn’t apply for a DPE (Disabled Player Exception) this year, which is a conscious decision for a lot of reasons. But the reality is, he’s not gonna be back until he’s 100 percent healthy and he feels good about it.”

🏥 How long is Jayson Tatum out for?

Tatum had emergency surgery by Dr. Martin O’Malley in Manhattan, immediately after tearing his Achilles. The immediate surgery is expected to expedite Tatum’s recovery.

Tatum’s father, Justin Tatum, said at the time that he believed his son would only miss 8-9 months.

Nine months is pretty aggressive, considering it takes some athletes over a full year to recover from this sort of injury. But, every bit of information we’ve received since the surgery on the night of May 12 has been positive.

The prototype for Achilles recovery is Miami Heat guard Dru Smith. Smith tore his Achilles on Dec. 23, 2024 and was ready to go at the start of training camp on Sept. 30. That was just nine months and seven days after the injury occurred.

For reference, nine months and seven days since Tatum was injured would be Feb. 19, 2026.

The Celtics have a home game against the Nets on Feb. 27, but I project that Boston will wait an additional few weeks to bring back their superstar.

Saturday, March 14 against the Wizards seems like a logical return date for Tatum. The Celtics have five-of-six games at home from March 14 to March 27. They will obviously want to ease Tatum back into game action, and it is easier to do so at home.

The NBA Playoffs begin on April 18, 2026, so a return in mid-March would give Tatum a full month to gear up for the grind that is the NBA postseason.

Here is a look at the Celtics schedule around the time that I project that Tatum will return.

• Saturday, March 14: Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics
• Monday, March 16: Phoenix Suns at Boston Celtics
• Wednesday, March 18: Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics
• Friday, March 20: Boston Celtics at Memphis Grizzlies
• Sunday, March 22: Minnesota Timberwolves at Boston Celtics

❓Is Jayson Tatum out for the season?

The Celtics have not ruled Jayson Tatum out for the season yet.

Tatum returning for the 2026 stretch run remains a real possibility.

The Celtics did not apply for the Disabled Player Exception (DPE), with the thought that Tatum might return this season.

The Indiana Pacers also have a superstar player nursing an Achilles tear, but they opted to apply for the DPE. Indiana was granted the DPE and can now use it this season. It allows the Pacers to be more flexibility when it comes to making trades or signing free agents this season, regardless of if they are over the salary cap.

🏀 Jayson Tatum fantasy basketball stock

Tatum is owned in 21 percent of Yahoo! fantasy basketball leagues. That number will surely increase in the coming weeks if it is indeed determined that Tatum is returning.

Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and a career-high 6.0 assists per game last season.

🍀 Celtics betting odds

The Celtics have fared quite well this season despite the loss of their superstar. Boston is 18-11 and currently holds the 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Joe Mazzulla’s club now has +3000 NBA title odds. Jaylen Brown is +50000 to win NBA MVP at the best NBA betting sites.