Jayson Tatum's Message to NBA Insider Should Worry the East

“Based off of what he texted me, I think we will see him at some point during the regular season,” Haynes said on NBA TV on Wednesday night.

“He told me he’s working out three times per week—45-minute sessions—he’s 23 weeks out from when he underwent surgery. He’s feeling good. He posted a video of him being able to explode off that leg. I asked him, ‘You’re really trying to come back this season?’ Basically, he was like, ‘I’m not putting all of this work in for nothing.’”

Tatum has gone viral several times this offseason due to specific quotes and videos of his workouts as he continues his recovery. The veteran forward has earned a lot of credit for the progress he has made so far.

Getting back out on the court for this season will be a tall task, but it’s not totally out of the question.

Tatum has never dealt with an injury this severe since he entered the NBA in 2017. For the most part, he’s been quite fortunate in the health department since he was a 19-year-old rookie out of Duke. In his first NBA season, Tatum saw the court for 80 games. It wasn’t until year four that Tatum appeared in fewer than 65 games.

Since his 64-game run in 2020-2021, Tatum has played in over 70 games in each of the past four seasons. Last year, Tatum averaged 36 minutes of playing time in 72 matchups. The veteran star posted averages of 26.8 points, 6.0 assists, and 8.7 rebounds, while shooting 45 percent from the field.

Tatum’s return to the Celtics’ lineup would be a massive boost for them, depending on when he gets back and where the team is at. Boston made a lot of changes over the offseason, moving off multiple key players from their championship run. Currently, the Celtics aren’t viewed as one of the East’s top contenders. If that’s the case late in the year, Tatum would be better off eyeing a return next year.

However, if the Celtics are in a position to potentially make a run, Tatum could put the entire conference on notice.

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