Jayson Tatum already looking ahead of schedule with triple-double

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Jayson Tatum already looking ahead of schedule with triple-double

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Thu, Apr 2, 2026 ·

3 min read

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Jayson Tatum will realistically need some more time to get back to his All-Star self. He's coming off a major Achilles injury and it hasn't even been a month since he's been back on the court.

But Tatum has already shown glimpses of what he looks like at his best. This time, it was his first triple-double of the season in the Celtics' blowout win over the Heat on Wednesday. Tatum posted his first triple-double of the season with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists Wednesday, doing just a little bit of everything.

"It sounds cliche: I feel a little bit better each game," Tatum said, via CLNS Media . "I don't know how long it's going to take to get back to where I was or hopefully better. The goal is to just continue to stack days."

The Celtics were overwhelming Wednesday in their 10th straight win over the Heat in Miami . They scored a franchise record 53 points in the first quarter alone, sprinting away from the Heat. Jaylen Brown had 43 points while Sam Hauser added 23 of his own in what was a dominant effort.

Tatum was everywhere himself in impacting the game. He shot 9-for-21 from the field and played 37 minutes. The playing time continues to creep up just weeks ahead of the postseason, which is another positive sign for the Celtics. He returned March 6, and within a month, he's playing a starter's allotment of minutes.

"He almost had 20 boards tonight, which is exceptional," Jaylen Brown said. "JT's been building up, and that's exactly according to plan, what we imagined. Heading into the playoffs, a strong Jayson Tatum , physical, him being who he is, is going to help us be a better team."

The Celtics were already East contenders as they've maintained their No. 2 seed in the conference. Now, a healthy Tatum changes the equation significantly. This is a guy who, before the injury, was named first-team All-NBA for four straight seasons. Tatum's impact has already been noticeable in the past few weeks.

The shot-making has taken some time with Tatum shooting below his career norms. That's not exactly a surprise considering he had a lengthy layoff. But Tatum's game sense hasn't disappeared. His playmaking and rebounding have already exceeded expectations, fitting the Celtics perfectly. With just six games left in the regular season, the Tatum integration has gone as well as many fans could have hoped.

"It's a balance of being an elite competitor and wanting to be the best version of yourself," Tatum said. "I just kind of try to remember that I came a long way. I'm grateful to be where I'm at. I wasn't 100% I was even going to be able to play this year. The fact that I'm able to go out there and contribute, even what I'm doing now, is a big win."

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