Speculation around Jayson Tatum’s return from last year’s ruptured Achilles tendon has spiraled into a world of conspiracy theories.
Boston’s Sunday night game against the Philadelphia 76ers was flexed into the 8 p.m. spot by NBC weeks back, throwing gasoline on the fire of predictions about whether it marked a return spot for Tatum. The latest fantasy buzzing around social media is that he’ll come back on March 14, against the Washington Wizards, because 3-14 spells out the area code of his hometown, St. Louis.
Ringer founder and CEO Bill Simmons threw out a more concrete prediction during an aside on his Sunday night ‘Bill Simmons Podcast’ episode.
“Tatum? It feels like it’s going to be Friday, [against] Dallas. All signs are pointing to Friday, Dallas. I was wondering if it was going to be this [past] weekend, but by Friday, I think it was not going to be this weekend.”
Simmons has covered the Celtics since the late 1990’s. He collaborated with the franchise to create ‘Celtics City,’ a nine-part docuseries that ran on HBO last year.
There’s no obvious “special meaning” behind a return against Dallas, other than the fact that the Western Conference team played foe to Boston during their 2024 championship – albeit, with a drastically different roster. Dallas has just 21 wins this year – putting them in the 12-spot in a competitive conference.
Tatum tore his Achilles against the New York Knicks on May 12, 2025. A March 6 return would time his total rehab at just under 10 months.
NBA Insider Brian Windhorst shied away from giving an exact date for Tatum’s comeback, but noted on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ that he’ll need a number of weeks to be ready to contribute in a playoff run. Boston currently holds the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference, 5.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons, and just 1.5 games ahead of the Knicks.
“If Jayson Tatum is going to truly want to make an impact, he’s going to need a ramp-up period. So, what does that mean?” Windhorst wondered.
“This is something that only he knows. Because you’re not going to be coming back out there instantaneously and averaging 25/10 like we’re used to seeing with him. You’re going to have to have a build-up.”
Tatum would have the opportunity to play in 20 games before the postseason with a return to play against Dallas. He has previously said he wants to come back during a home game.
Friday’s 6 p.m. game is being broadcast by ESPN and NBC Sports Boston. Tatum has collaborated with NBC/Peacock on a five-part mini docuseries called ‘The Quiet Work’ that chronicles his Achilles repair and rehab.
Dr. Martin O’Malley, the New York surgeon who repaired Tatum’s foot last May, appeared in the documentary with encouraging words.