Lately, it seems like just about everyone has an opinion on when injured star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum should return to the court. And it is hard to blame them after a media blitz from the St. Louis native did everything but explicitly set a date for Tatum to return this season from the Achilles tendon tear he sustained against the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.
But do not lump Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens into that camp, as the Boston president let it be known he has a different point of view on the Duke alum’s health during the first press conference held to introduce new team majority owner Bill Chisholm to the public in that role. “I’ve said this from Day 1, and I’ll continue to say it: no timelines on Jayson from my perspective,” said Stevens. “My No. 1 goal, my No. 2 goal, 3 goal, 4 goal is Jayson Tatum fully healthy, full recovery, and he’s well on his way.”
Advertisement
“He has been incredibly diligent,” continued the Celtics exec. “He has been a great leader by example to people in this building when no players were around in the middle of the summer and when a lot of the young guys have been around in the last month-and-a-half.”
Sep 25, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens speaks during a press conference at Auerbach Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
“We appreciate that, and we know that he’s going to be itching to get back, and he will be the biggest decision-maker in that,” continued Stevens.
“But there will be a lot of people in that room when that ultimately gets decided, including people that are working with him every day and people that are really important to him. So we’re on a good path, and we just need — the most important thing is fully healthy Jayson Tatum.”
Listen to “Havlicek Stole the Pod” on:
Advertisement
Spotify: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics president Brad Stevens on how he sees Jayson Tatum’s return