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By Justin Grasso
Contributing Sports Writer
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Jayson Tatum has been on a mission to return from his Achilles injury to play during the 2025-2026 NBA season, less than one year after going down.
The Boston Celtics forward has gained plenty of attention for his impressive recovery, and throughout the process, he has seemed overly confident that he’ll be back for the Cs if there is a playoff scenario to push for.
Former Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas is one who would advise against that move for Tatum.
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"Personally, I don't feel like he should come back,” Thomas said on the Point Game Podcast.
“Being a guy that's been injured before, that got injured playing your best basketball ever, and then coming back and being expected to be that same person right away, it's like you're in a lose-lose situation. And to be on a really good team, like all of this has happened to me, so I'm talking from experience.”
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The idea was that if the Celtics are close to making a playoff bid around the spring, when Tatum could get cleared to play, he would return to do what he could to get the Celtics in the postseason and compete for a title run in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
The reality? The Celtics have been thriving even in his absence.
The All-Star break is here, and the Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference. With a 35-19 record, they have a 0.5 game lead over the New York Knicks.
It’s not a comfortable lead in the second seed, but the Celtics have been just as consistent as they’ve been in the past. It’s clear they are one of the East’s top teams, despite missing their MVP-caliber forward.
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“I don't think there's a rush for him to come back,” Thomas added.
“Like you come back and say you play okay, and you guys don't win. Who are they blaming? They're blaming you. That's just unnecessary pressure put on yourself. And then it's an Achilles tear. So, it's like, let's not rush this back. Yes, they've probably done the right steps. And yes, he's probably getting healthy, and he feels like he's good enough to play for sure. I've been that age, too, and being young, like, just that your pride and your ego, and you feeling like you're missing out on things.”
Tatum hasn’t confirmed his plans. For months, he seemed to be on pace for a return. Some doubt in that scenario was sprinkled in recently, but Tatum addressed the media earlier this week to state that he’s still undecided.
With Tatum back on the practice court in some capacity, there could be more clarity soon after the break.
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