Boston Celtics
Will Tatum return this Friday against the Mavericks? Bill Simmons says it feels that way.
Jayson Tatum appears to be close to making his regular-season debut, but the exact date is still unknown.
The Celtics ruled out Tatum for Tuesday’s contest against the Bucks. Tatum has said in the past that he’d like to make his return in front of a home crowd. The Celtics have a pair of home games this week against Charlotte and Dallas.
Bill Simmons seems to be convinced that Tatum will return Friday at TD Garden against the Mavericks.
“It feels like its going to be Friday. Dallas. All signs are pointing to Friday, Dallas,” Simmons said during an episode of the Bill Simmons podcast. “I was wondering if it was going to be this weekend, but by Friday I think it was not going to be this weekend.”
Simmons previously said that he believed Tatum’s return would be either on March 1 or March 6, with his money being on the 1st. NBC moved Sunday’s matchup with the Sixers into primetime, but both Tatum and Joel Embiid missed the game. Tatum was in the building, but he was wearing street clothes.
On Friday, the Celtics will host Maine native Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks. Flagg has been dealing with a foot injury, and it’s not yet clear whether he’ll play. If he does, it will be his first game at TD Garden as a professional.
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN with a 7 p.m. tip-off. It’s also a rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals, though Luka Dončić has since been traded and Kyrie Irving is out for the season with an injury.
The Celtics have not announced a timeline for Tatum’s return. His injury designation has not changed on the team’s injury report.
His status for Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee is out due to achilles tendon repair, the same as it has been all season.
Tatum will make his return when he feels ready, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has said on multiple occasions.
ESPN reported last week that Tatum had been cleared for 5-on-5 action in practice.
Tatum has been tweeting out clips of “The Quiet Work,” a five-part mini-documentary of his recovery process that has been airing on NBC over the past couple of weeks.
The Celtics, winners of eight of their last 10 games, are 40-20 without Tatum this season.
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