Around tip-off, either in time for the pregame handshake line or shortly after, Jayson Tatum joins the Celtics on their bench. From there, he stays involved, talking through sequences with teammates, using timeouts to offer quick insight and pointers, and joining in on bench celebrations when the moment calls for it.
“Everybody has different leadership responsibilities. Everybody leads in different ways. He’s done a great job,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Obviously, his ability to lead on the court has been taken away. He’s done a great job leading off the court. One, with the work ethic of his recovery. But at the same time, the individual relationships that he’s building. Being on the bench, having those communications – whether it’s in practice or in-game. That’s been invaluable to the locker room.”
Since rupturing his Achilles tendon in May, Tatum has remained active with the team. He spent the summer in Boston, at the Auerbach Center, almost every day. Now in-season, he travels with the team and attends nearly every team event — games, practices, shootarounds, and film sessions — and his presence has been deeply felt.
“He’s been super active. He’s been around. It’s been dope to see,” said Jaylen Brown. “He’s been engaged. He’s been on the majority of every flight. He’s been to almost every film session. That level of dedication, you can tell, he’s eager to get back. A lot of guys that know they’ve got an extended amount of time, they’re going to separate themselves mentally for a little bit or whatever. He’s been there. He’s been like an extra coach, almost, in a sense. So it’s been kind of cool to see.”
It’s rare for a player dealing with a serious, long-term injury to remain this engaged. But Tatum has embraced the situation, doing everything he can to support his teammates off the court. And for a team full of young, unproven players, the insight and leadership of one of the league’s top talents has been indispensable.
“I don’t know how many players travel with the team with his injury. A [long-term] injury, you know? He’s been always present there for us,” rookie Hugo Gonzalez said. “Anything you’ve got, you can just try to talk to him, and he’s going to respond by being honest and trying to help you the best way he can. He’d love to be on the court, but he’s just trying to help anybody that’s around him.”
“He’s a coach/hype-man/leader. He’s kind of doing it all,” said Jordan Walsh. “Obviously, everybody respects his opinion, respects what he has to say. So anytime he’s pulling me aside and telling me something, I listen because it could help me for this game, the next game, or even my career.”
It’s not a new role for Tatum. He has always used his voice, but being sidelined has amplified it. For Neemias Queta, who joined Boston during the 2023-24 season at 23 years old, Tatum serves as a constant source of guidance, offering advice, feedback, and encouragement that have helped him grow as a player.
“He’s been on me from the moment I got here in Boston. We’ve been able to build that relationship,” Queta said. “He’s always trying to help me figure out what I can do better. Figure out how I can get my teammates open. Just trying to be kind of a coach, so to speak, as he can’t play right now. I feel like he’s been one of the most vocal guys, and he’s always trying to lead us.”
While his return remains indefinite, Tatum is very much part of this team, serving as an unofficial coach on the bench and a resource for his teammates. His influence is felt in games, practice, film sessions, and in the way younger players approach the game, offering guidance and perspective to help impact winning even as he recovers.
“His thing is trying to create more killers out there, in terms of like mentality. I hear him talking to Jordan a lot about just like being a killer every chance he gets on the court instead of like just playing a certain role,” Xavier Tillman said. “He just knows winning basketball, knows what it takes. So he gives different gems like that throughout the game – we haven’t had much practice – but throughout the games and throughout our travel and stuff like that in between to help guys on our journey to win as many games as possible.”
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