Jayson Tatum comeback: 76ers preparing for potential return

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Jayson Tatum comeback: 76ers preparing for potential return

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Sat, Feb 28, 2026 ·

2 min read

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Jayson Tatum’s status for Sunday’s game against the 76ers has plenty of Celtics fans on high alert. There’s been some hope and speculation that Tatum could return to the court for the 8 p.m. Sunday game at TD Garden. Tatum’s status for the game is still unknown.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said his team has done “a little bit” of preparation in case Tatum does play, per the Philly Voice’s Adam Aaronson . The Celtics will have an update on Tatum’s status by 5 p.m. Saturday, which is when the injury report comes out. So the NBA world will know whether a Tatum comeback for Sunday is possible by then.

Tatum has rehabbed his ruptured Achilles tendon throughout the season. But there have been some major practice updates this month. He practiced with the Maine Celtics, the team’s G League affiliate, back on Feb. 9. Tatum has also reportedly taken part in five-on-five scrimmages in recent days.

For his part, Tatum hasn’t confirmed or denied an in-season return yet. That’s been the case all year from the Celtics, saying they don’t want to put any pressure on their best player to return too fast. The goal has been for Tatum to be in a position where he can make that decision.

“It’s a long journey,” Tatum said Feb. 21 in Los Angeles . “You can’t rush it. You gotta take your time. Go at your own pace. Not really compare yourself to other guys. Everybody is different. But just kind of go at your own pace.”

The Sixers game Sunday was flexed to a nationally-televised broadcast on NBC. That’s partly why some fans and pundits are wondering if this is the game Tatum could be back. Even if Tatum doesn’t play Sunday, he could conceivably return in the coming weeks for a different home game.

The Celtics are 39-20, good for second in the East. It’s been an impressive season for the C’s thus far despite outsiders expecting a gap year with Tatum sidelined. But Jaylen Brown has enjoyed a career-best season, plus the Celtics have had multiple role players step up this season. Adding Tatum to the fold would certainly make things interesting in Boston for the playoffs.

“Just continuing to follow the progression of rehab,” Tatum said. “Nothing is set in stone. It’s more so workout, see how you recover the next day and then you just make a plan from there.”

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