Six-time All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, nearly 10 months removed from his last NBA game, is nearing his return from his ruptured Achilles rehab and will play basketball this season.
It comes at an excellent time for Boston, which has outperformed external expectations in Tatum’s absence. The Celtics are currently 41-21 and in the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, just 4.5 games back of the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.
All-Star Jaylen Brown has carried Boston, and a potential Tatum return for the final 20 games of the regular season and playoffs should provide a massive boost to Boston’s chances at competing in the East.
Here’s everything you need to know about Jayson Tatum’s availability for Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks:
Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight vs. Mavericks?
Yes, he will make his highly-anticipated season debut, barring any unforeseen setbacks. The Celtics officially listed Tatum as available on the latest injury report Friday early afternoon.
The initial injury report published Thursday had listed Tatum as questionable for the first time since he tore his Achilles; previously, the Celtics had listed him as out. As of Friday morning, Tatum had retained the questionable designation, though local media at the Celtics facility reported that Tatum was present at the team’s shootaround, staying mostly in the weight room area.
Tatum and the training staff will presumably check off any last-minute preparations to ensure Tatum is physically and mentally locked in. In any case, it’s safe to assume that his minutes will be closely monitored.
Coach Joe Mazzulla will hold his pre-game press conference at around 5:15 p.m. ET. He may provide updates then.
“We only have (20) games left, so it’s going to have to be a quick process whenever that happens,” Celtics forward Sam Hauser said Friday of incorporating Tatum, according to the Boston Herald. “As much as you want, like, a grace period for that, we don’t really have that luxury, so we’re all just going to have to figure it out on the fly. That’s a good thing for us to have to problem-solve whenever that comes up and figure things out on our own. But I think overall, it’s a positive.”
How many minutes will Jayson Tatum play vs. Mavericks?
At this point, it’s not set in stone, and the Celtics will almost certainly not reveal their precise plan for Tatum in his debut. Still, a minutes restriction is a near certainty, as he works his way back to game shape. Coach Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics have maintained that they would be prudent with Tatum, so there’s no reason to rush him back to a full workload, especially since the Mavericks (21-41) are not a particularly strong opponent.
Tatum hasn’t played a live basketball game since mid-May, so his conditioning will be tested. Last season, Tatum averaged 36.4 minutes per game. He likely won’t come close to that Friday night.
A good estimate for his playing time is around 20-to-25 minutes.
How to watch Jayson Tatum’s potential season debut vs. Mavericks: TV channel, live stream
Start time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: TD Garden (Boston)
TV channel: ESPN
Live stream: ESPN, Fubo
Jayson Tatum 2024-25 stats
Last season, Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in 72 appearances.