BOSTON — With Jayson Tatum already back to playing one-on-one after tearing his right Achilles tendon in May, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked Wednesday when the team will begin conversations about the All-Star’s potential return.
“It’s all up to him,” Mazzulla said after his team’s practice. “At the end of the day, his health is the most important thing, his process is the most important thing. You trust him, trust the team that’s around him — he’s got a great team — and then you just kind of go from there. So it kind of just all starts (with) where him and his team think he’s at.”
Tuesday, Tatum released footage of himself working out with Celtics assistant coaches at their practice facility. In the video, he shows off impressive mobility while playing one-on-one against assistant coach Tony Dobbins.
Jayson Tatum dropped nearly 3 minutes of workout film 👀🔥
🎥 @jaytatum0 pic.twitter.com/ifpIjF3MgD
— CeltsAllDay ☘︎ (@celtsallday_) December 9, 2025
Tatum was seen on the court again Wednesday after the Celtics concluded practice. During the portion of practice open to the media, he worked on a mix of post-ups and long-range shooting.
Jayson Tatum getting some work in after practice. pic.twitter.com/1vgZbeNtct
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 10, 2025
“The encouraging thing is that he is who he is,” Mazzulla said. “I care more about, obviously, him doing his job. He has a job just like we do, and it’s his prep, it’s his — I think it’s harder to rehab than it is to be in the season sometimes because you have to do things at a higher intensity, at a higher pace. So he’s doing that, but I care more about (the fact that) he’s (around) the team, he’s helping us get better. That’s the most important thing.”
Tatum has traveled with the Celtics throughout the season. He has been around the team throughout his rehabilitation.
“To me, the only thing I care about is his presence and his leadership, and he’s given that in different ways — on the bench for games, communicating with guys, in film sessions, traveling with us,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, he’s on our team. He’s a part of our team. He’s helping us get better, and then everything else just comes down to him and the people around him, and you just trust that.”
Tatum, who has stated he will aim for a return this season, also recently posted a photo of himself in game attire, captioned “soon” and featuring a crossed-fingers emoji.
This coming Sunday will mark seven months since Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon in a playoff game against the New York Knicks. He underwent surgery the following day.
As exciting as it would be to add Tatum to a team that sits in third place in the Eastern Conference at 15-9, Payton Pritchard said he hasn’t thought much about his teammate’s return yet.
“It’s not necessarily a thought we’re worried about right now,” Pritchard said. “We’re focused on his recovery. If he comes back, and if he comes back healthy and ready to play, we know how to play with him. It’s not like we’re bringing him in to guys he’s never played with. So it’ll be an easy transition. But right now, we’re just focusing on the guys that are playing right now, getting better and putting ourselves in the best position possible.”
When the time comes to prepare for Tatum’s return, Mazzulla said the conversations will be above his pay grade.
“My job is to just support him, be there for them, listen to him,” Mazzulla said. “And at the end of the day, you trust the people that are around him.”
