Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum returned to play on March 6, 2026, nearly 300 days after tearing his Achilles tendon. The 28-year-old forward received a standing ovation from the Boston crowd in his season debut against the Dallas Mavericks.

Tatum missed the first 62 games of the 2025-26 NBA season before recording 15 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes against Dallas. He has scored in double figures in all eight games since his return, with at least 20 points in five of those contests and four double-doubles.

"I'm just taking it day by day. I have probably the worst injury you could have. I didn't rush the rehab process, so I can't rush this," Tatum said.

The forward's shooting percentages stand at 38.8% overall and 29.3% from three-point range through his first eight games back. He has attempted 75 of his first 139 shots from beyond the three-point line, representing 53.9% of his total attempts. His usage rate in those games is 30.8%.

Tatum is averaging a career-high 8.9 rebounds per game this season along with 1.1 steals. Before the 2025-26 season, he had averaged more than 26 points per game in five straight seasons.

Tatum had surgery the morning after the Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks to avoid swelling and speed up his recovery by a month. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said, "I knew he was going to do everything he could."

The Celtics currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference and are the betting favorite to reach the NBA Finals. The team lost Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet during the 2025 offseason. Preseason projections expected Boston to underperform because of Tatum's Achilles injury and those departures.

Boston is scheduled to host the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. The Oklahoma City Thunder have better NBA title odds than any other team.