Could Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum defy the odds and return to the court in 2025-26?
After rupturing his Achilles on May 12, Tatum faces a long recovery. Based on how pro athletes have historically responded to Achilles tears, Tatum isn’t expected to resume intense basketball activities for a calendar year, give or take, which rules JT out for all of next season.
There have been exceptions to the above timeline, however, and Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor believes Tatum could join that short list of exceptions.
“Tatum’s out for, at a minimum, eight or nine months,” O’Connor said on a new episode of The Kevin O’Connor Show.
That’s where O’Connor’s guest, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, corrected O’Connor.
“He’s done (for all of 2025-26),” Mannix replied. “I’d be shocked if he came back.”
“You’d give it (a) zero percent chance?” O’Connor asked.
“I mean, not zero because he’s a young guy, and maybe … there’s some kind of herculean recovery,” Mannix said.
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“But if you get past the All-Star break, and you’re kind of in that playoff/play-in race, the last thing you want to do is stick a guy back in that’s gonna need some training wheels for a while.”
“Like, you’re not putting Jayson Tatum back into the middle of a playoff race coming off an Achilles injury,” Mannix continued. “I haven’t talked to enough people around Tatum to be certain about this, but, you know, past the All-Star break … if he’s not ramped all the way up, they’re not gonna bring him back next year.”
Despite Mannix’s rational assessment, O’Connor insisted that Tatum returning for the 2026 playoffs cannot be ruled out.
“This is the dude who texted Kobe (Bryant) after Kobe passed away,” O’Connor said, referring to Tatum’s relationship with the late Lakers legend and how much Tatum looks to Kobe for inspiration.
“Kobe was like nine months (recovery from his Achilles). That’s what I’m saying. Tatum’s gonna try to do what Kobe did. Come back fast.”
“If you’re Boston, you don’t let him,” Mannix declared.
Tatum’s road back to the court will be interesting to watch unfold. Boston’s medical staff will be under a microscope. The wisest move, as alluded to by Mannix, would be to give Tatum an adequate runway to re-enter NBA basketball games. Bringing him back even an iota too early could risk further injury.
O’Connor isn’t wrong to suggest that Tatum will want to return as quickly as possible to the court, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be safe or smart for JT to do so.
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