Weeks ahead of the regular season, Boston Celtics fans just got huge news regarding superstar Jayson Tatum.
Tatum has largely been expected to miss all of this season, but, according to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, he could return in March. That would mean that he would return from an Achilles tear in less than a year.
That would be a surprisingly fast recovery, one that would dramatically alter the Celtics' season outlook. If true, the Celtics' potential gap year might not be that at all.
Depending on when he returns in March, he could have at least a month and 15 games to ramp up ahead of the playoffs. Even so, it's doubtful that he would be able to pick up where he left off last season.
The Boston Celtics find themselves in a risky Jayson Tatum situation
It normally takes more than a full season for a player who tore their Achilles to return to any semblance of their previous performance. Actually, most players who tear their Achilles suffer significant drop-offs in production over the remainder of their careers.
Hopefully, that won't be the case for Tatum, but it would be too soon to tell even if he does return in March. It also might be more about knocking the rust off after missing most of the season.
If they were to hold him out all of this season and have him make his return in 2026-27, he would likely be better off health-wise but wouldn't have played in 16 months.
Even with Jayson Tatum, the Celtics may not be contenders this season
There is a clear trade-off between holding him out all of this season and rust next season. Assuming that he does come back in March, the Celtics might be better than expected but still far worse than last year.
Their center rotation is lackluster at best, and they would have to upgrade that position before they could even be considered a contender. Even so, they would still clearly be behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks.
Ultimately, if Tatum is indeed able to return this season, that would be a huge boon for the Celtics. Even so, it also comes with plenty of risks, such as bringing him back too soon instead of giving him more time to recover, and Boston will have to weigh the risks with the possible rewards.