Brad Stevens talks possible Jayson Tatum return — in a way that might give Celtics fans a little hope
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens on Wednesday was asked about the possibility of star forward Jayson Tatum returning this season. The Celtics have mostly gone out of their way to be vague about the situation, in large part because they just do not know for certain.
Stevens reiterated that point, but also provided an addendum that could offer hope for Celtics fans eager to see the return of Tatum, who remains sidelined indefinitely due to the Achilles injury he suffered last May.
“One of the things that everybody can see is we didn’t apply for a [disabled player exception] this year, which was a conscious decision for a lot of reasons,” Stevens said. “But the reality is he’s not going to be back until he’s 110 percent healthy and he feels good about it, and that’s a big part of it, right?”
Teams that are above the salary cap can apply for the disabled player exception, which allows them to sign a replacement player if a league-designated doctor determines it is more likely than not that the player will be out through at least June 15.
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The exception can be for the lesser of half the injured player’s salary, or the $14.1 million mid-level exception. In the case of Tatum, who is making $54.1 million this year, Boston would have access to the latter.
But Stevens made it clear that Boston’s decision to push forward with a shorthanded roster was, at minimum, an indication that a return remains possible.
“Obviously, he’s itching to play,” Stevens said. “Obviously he hates watching. But he’s also very cognizant of the need to meet every threshold and why there are those things that are put in place. We’ve had a lot of great talks about it.”
Stevens said that Tatum still needs to meet several “strength thresholds” before he can move to the next phase of his recovery. Then he would progress through various levels of on-court work, including scripted small-group workouts that evolve into scripted five-on-five sessions. Then Tatum would advance to unscripted scrimmage settings.
“But it’s a long progression, and it’s almost like, once you hit the strength, then you do your thresholds of a progression of play, and then you’re also reconditioning to play real minutes whatever that looks like,” Stevens said. “He’s obviously made great strides. Right now, we’re still focused on the full-strength band.”
The 2024-25 season ended for Jayson Tatum (0) with the Celtics star being helped off the court May 12 at Madison Square Garden during Game 4 of the playoff series loss to the Knicks.Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
The Celtics have continued to push forward without Tatum, of course. They are 15-11, tied for fourth place in an Eastern Conference that does not seem to have any true powerhouse teams.
Even if Tatum does not come back this year, the Celtics could be just a move away from truly challenging for the conference crown. With the Feb. 5 trade deadline less than two months away, Stevens said early conversations with other teams have indicated most are still assessing how to pursue roster alterations. He pointed out the Celtics are just a half-game behind the third-place Raptors, but also just one game from dropping all the way to ninth.
More clarity should arrive in the coming weeks.
“I think that we’re all still trying to figure out who we are and what we can be,” Stevens said. “We will not put a ceiling on this group. If it makes sense for us to look for things that can help us, we certainly will. But it all has to be within good deals, and it all has to be within the ultimate goal, which is the North Star of retooling so we’re in a position to compete for what we want to compete for.”
Stevens was referring to another multi-year run of contending for NBA titles, a status the team believes it can regain with the return of a healthy Tatum combined with the continued development of its younger players.
“There’s a fine line between feeling really good about yourself and not feeling so good about yourself,” Stevens said. “And I think we just have to kind of stay in the work. I’ve kind of looked at us on a positive side, a work in progress where I’m really encouraged by both the work and the progress. You know, I think that we’re making strides, and so we just have to continue to do it.”
Old habits are dying hard. Making more shots is what will help the Celtics avoid another playoff disappointment, like the one they had in New York last spring.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
