Bill Simmons hints at potential Jayson Tatum return date

Story by

Story by
Bill Simmons hints at potential Jayson Tatum return date

Brian Robb · MassLive

Mon, Mar 2, 2026 ·

2 min read

About Our Ads

The buzz is building around Jayson Tatum’s return to the court 10 months after he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The Celtics star has been scrimmaging “full go” with teammates for weeks now with no reported setbacks as he preps for a potential dramatic return to the floor.

Tatum has not fully committed yet to playing this season as he continues his recovery, but The Ringer’s Bill Simmons believes a return is approaching quickly for the forward. Simmons predicted weeks ago that Tatum would return during the first week of March and doubled down on that Sunday night during his podcast with Zach Lowe after the Celtics beat the 76ers.

“Tatum, it feels like it’s going to be Friday, (versus) Dallas ,” Simmons said. “All signs are pointing to Friday, Dallas. I was wondering if it was going to be (this past Sunday) but by Friday, it was not going to be this weekend.”

Simmons had originally predicted March 1 for a Tatum return date back in the middle of February after NBC picked up the Celtics -Sixers game on Sunday night to show nationally.

“Had been hearing first week of March for a while, that it was going to be somewhere around that March 4, March 6 game,” Simmons said back on Feb. 15 on his podcast. “It’s really starting to look like March 1 or March 6. My money would be on March 1 for him.”

Tatum said last year that whenever he does return to the floor from his injury, his first game will be in Boston . The Celtics have two remaining home games this week, March 4 against the Hornets and March 6 against a tanking Mavericks squad. That Friday contest is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN and could feature the pro debut of Cooper Flagg in Boston as well if he’s cleared to play from a foot injury.

Tatum last spoke publicly with the media about his status on Feb. 21 in Los Angeles , before taking part in a Celtics practice. He has been practicing for several weeks now amid his recovery.

“I feel like I’m beating a dead horse,” Tatum said Feb. 21 in Los Angeles. “I’m just taking it one day at a time. It’s something that’s very serious. The injury that I have. It’s just a long journey. For me, it’s just a lot easier to take it one day at a time.”

More Celtics content