Jayson Tatum offers promising Achilles update after 4th game

Story by

Story by
Jayson Tatum offers promising Achilles update after 4th game

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Sun, Mar 15, 2026 ·

3 min read

About Our Ads

BOSTON — The moments are slowly starting to build for Jayson Tatum following his return from an Achilles injury. While it’ll take some more time for the Celtics star to look like his All-Star self, it’s clear he’s getting more comfortable with each passing minute.

Tatum saw his minutes restriction go up a tick in the Celtics’ win over the Wizards on Sunday. After playing 27 minutes in his first three games, Tatum finished with 32 minutes that included playing the entire third quarter. He gave a promising health update following Sunday’s game.

“Compared to the first game, I feel a lot more relaxed,” Tatum said. “Obviously, the first game was such a big day and moment. I’m finding more and more moments each game where I’m feeling more confident, more explosive. Whether it’s driving a closeout or reacting or something, it’s just more and more moments each game where I find plays where maybe it’s not like a big play people would notice, but something that I noticed, or like I heard that gave me confidence and things like that.”

Tatum put up 20 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists Sunday, shooting 8-for-19 from the field. Like he alluded to, there are spurts where Tatum looks like his normal self before the Achilles injury. Tatum started slow Sunday, but he still managed to find spurts to get the TD Garden crowd buzzing.

Tatum got the night off against the Thunder last Thursday , so there’s a plan for him to ease back into NBA action. He played in his first three games since returning, all with a one-day break in between games. It’s unclear what the plan will be for back-to-backs, but it’s still early in his return.

“I obviously understand the bigger picture and the plan,” Tatum said. “Sticking with the plan in the moment is kind of tough. Obviously I want to be out there as much as possible. But today I got to play more than the first three games, so I’ll take that.”

Even if Tatum isn’t all the way back, he’s still contributing to the Celtics on a nightly basis. C’s coach Joe Mazzulla has called it “giving the game what it needs.” That’s come in various forms through the early portions of the Tatum return. His playmaking has been there since Day 1, which is no surprise considering he’s a seasoned veteran.

There is still a process in some forms. While he’s played years with guys like Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, other parts of the roster are different. So it’s still in the early stages of playing alongside Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman and more. That’s part of the Tatum incorporating process, as well, ahead of the playoffs.

“He wants to win, and he also wants to continue to get better,” Mazzulla said. “He’s rebounding, he’s boxing out, he’s making the right play, getting into space, and doing all the things that impact winning. So I think that’s more important than anything else.”

More Celtics content