BOSTON — In the middle of December, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens said star forward Jayson Tatum has a multitude of physical “thresholds” to meet before he can return to action. When asked for an update on those thresholds, and Tatum’s overall strength progression as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles, Stevens revealed on Friday morning that the six-time All-Star is doing well.
However, he wouldn’t divulge whether or not Tatum is going to suit up for the Green Team during the 2025-26 campaign. In fact, with 31 games left in Boston’s regular season schedule and the playoffs less than three months away, Stevens stated that Tatum still has a fair amount of work to do.
“He’s hit a lot of the thresholds,” Stevens said. “He’s doing more and more, and will continue to do more and more. He’s still got a ways to go.”
Brad Stevens on Jayson Tatum’s recovery process:
“He’s hit a lot of the thresholds. He’s doing more and more, you know, and he’ll continue to do more and more. He’s still got a ways to go.” pic.twitter.com/T3B7kI1GUz
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) February 6, 2026
It’s not a surprise that Stevens didn’t get into specifics on Tatum’s return timeline, as the entire Celtics organization has largely kept these conversations behind closed doors. But, the de facto general manager did admit that Tatum’s potential comeback had no impact on the Green Team’s recent trade that sent prolific scorer Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for big man Nikola Vucevic.
“I would say it had very little impact on that singular decision,” Stevens asserted. “Just because, at the end of the day, if you kind of look at who you have to go through (in the playoffs), the paths you might have to take, you just can’t get worn down physically. And we were going to be much smaller. And now, now we at least have big options.”
Tatum, who’s listed at 6-foot-8, would help with some of those sizes issues, especially in the playoffs. Yet, once again, Stevens reiterated that the Celtics are prioritizing their franchise cornerstone’s health and refuse to rush him back.
“The best (time) for Jayson Tatum to come back is when he’s 110% healthy, he’s fully cleared by everybody that matters in that decision, and he’s got great peace of mind and is ready to do it,” Stevens emphasized. “That’s it. That’s the objective, and that’s what we’re going to stick to.”
While Tatum’s been rehabbing his Achilles, the Celtics have managed to go 33-18 a little over 50 games into the season. The C’s currently hold the third seed in the Eastern Conference and are just 4.5 games back from the first-place Detroit Pistons.
Given the Celtics’ success without him, Tatum pondered whether or not his return would disrupt his squad’s chemistry while on “The Pivot Podcast” in January. Stevens clarified that although he hadn’t heard Tatum’s exact comments, he understands the thought process of his star player.
“You’re looking at old footage of yourself versus new footage of yourself, you’re trying to figure out where you are in that kind of whole path, and then you get back out on the court, and each day gets a little bit more normal and you start to feel a little bit more maybe like yourself,” Stevens described of the journey every injured player goes through. “And I think that’s just normal.”
Brad Stevens on Jayson Tatum pondering whether or not to come back:
“Anytime you go through a long, hard rehab…for anything at any level of athletics, there’s going to be all kinds of things that you’re thinking about as you’re progressing through it.”
“It’s totally normal.” pic.twitter.com/M3lkHZiQrE
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) February 6, 2026
Regardless of what Tatum discussed on his podcast appearance, Stevens believes that he is still confident in his abilities. And if Tatum ever hesitates, Stevens will be there to remind his former player of what he’s capable of.
“If he needs it, I’ll tell him every day,” Stevens said. “Because every team — all 30 of us — would be way, way, way better with him on your team.”
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Brad Stevens said Jayson Tatum is progressing well, but left his return date undefined
