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Jayson Tatum’s possible return date from injury is revealed

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Feb 16, 2026 9:32 PM ET

Jayson Tatum may only be a couple of weeks away from jogging out of the tunnel again.

The injured Boston Celtics star Tatum could potentially be returning to the court on March 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers, Bill Simmons of The Ringer said during the latest episode of his self-titled podcast. Simmons noted that he has been hearing “first week of March for a while” and mentioned that NBC recently flexed the March 1st Celtics-76ers matchup into the 8 PM primetime slot.

You can listen to Simmons’ full remarks below.

Bill Simmons believes NBC's Tatum doc tease hinted at his return date:

"Between the third and fourth [All-Star] game, a three-minute Jayson Tatum comeback video about his journey made me super suspicious that NBC and he are working together."

"I'd been hearing first week of… pic.twitter.com/PnpzyqDi8u
— SleeperCeltics (@SleeperCeltics) February 16, 2026

The six-time All-Star Tatum, 27, has been sidelined ever since mid-May after tearing his Achilles tendon during a playoff game versus the New York Knicks. But the Celtics have been a surprise in Tatum’s absence, going 35-19 to sit at second in the Eastern Conference. That could potentially position Tatum to make his return in short order (as he is now over nine months removed from his injury).

A few weeks ago, we heard that the chances of a Tatum return this season were a bit more pessimistic. But the five-time All-NBA selection was recently assigned to Boston’s G League affiliate and apparently looked very good.

As for Simmons, he is a well-documented Massachusetts native and Boston sports homer. Simmons generally has very good information when it comes to the NBA and could end up being spot-on again with Tatum here.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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