Ahead of his return to the court on Friday, Celtics star Jayson Tatum received some high praise from his teammate and fellow co-star, Jaylen Brown. While Brown has been leading the Celtics all season, he is embracing Tatum’s return and is thankful that he’s sacrificing everything to re-take the court.
“First, I want to commend JT for even having the notion that he wants to come back,” said Brown on the ‘Cousins’ podcast. “Him wanting to return is an unselfish act; putting his body on the line in order for us to accomplish something great. We’re both on the same page and had a good talk about the mindset we want to come back with and what we want to add to winning.”
The early reviews are pretty positive on Tatum so far, even before playing a single minute this season. Experts insist that “Tatum is still Tatum” and we can expect him to play up to his usual standards. The biggest change is on the Celtics’ side, as Brown made perfectly clear.
“This is a different group than what we’ve played with before,” Brown added. “We’re used to playing with more experienced players over the last few years, but this is a younger group, so it’s a different dynamic. They’re going to feed off the energy that we create. We have a great understanding of what it means to win. We’ve won for a long time and know how to find success, so I think we’re on the same page.”
The recovery time for major Achilles injuries can vary, but it typically takes anywhere from 10 to 12 months. Tatum, who went down in May of 2025, is right at the 10-month mark, and he could have pushed it off until next season to ensure maximum health and healing. Instead, he’s putting it all on the line to help his team right now, and it’ll be a welcome addition to their current rotation.
Without Tatum, nobody was expecting much from the Celtics. In fact, after trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, they were projected to be a lower-seeded playoff team, no higher than fourth in the East. Instead, through the leadership of Brown and standout performances from Derrick White and Peyton Pritchard, Boston currently sits at second in the East at 41-21.
Tatum’s return isn’t just for show; it puts the Celtics back in a position to compete for a title. With career averages of 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game on 45.9% shooting from the field and 34.3% shooting from three, he has the talent and the skill to bring the Celtics to another level in the East. But whether or not it’s enough to beat out the Pistons and Knicks remains to be seen. For now, the focus is just on getting Tatum integrated into the offense and ensuring that he’s comfortable on the court when the playoffs roll around.
