When will Tatum return for Celtics? Bill Simmons makes his call.

Jayson Tatum’s return to the parquet flooring seems to be imminent, particularly when studying the tea leaves involving NBC’s upcoming broadcast of a Celtics’ primetime bout towards the 76ers subsequent month.

Whereas the Celtics’ famous person ahead has remained mum about when he expects to be back after rupturing his Achilles tendon final Might, NBC did put up a 90-second trailer in the course of the NBA All-Star Sport on Sunday for “The Quiet Work” — a five-part docuseries that chronicles Tatum’s return to basketball. 

According to Tatum’s YouTube page, “The Quiet Work” will run each Sunday night time on NBC in between video games in the course of the community’s Sunday Night time Basketball video games. 

In the meantime, NBC’s broadcast of Celtics vs. Sixers on March 1 has been moved from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will likely be televised nationally. 

Given all these breadcrumbs, The Ringer’s Invoice Simmons believes that a Tatum return could only be a few weeks away. 

“Had been listening to first week of March for some time, that it was going to be someplace round that March 4, March 6 recreation,” Simmons stated on his podcast. “It’s actually beginning to seem like March 1 or March 6. My cash could be on March 1 for him.”

Past that March 1 primetime match towards the Sixers, March 6 could be a house recreation for Boston towards the Dallas Mavericks — the group that Tatum and the Celtics defeated within the 2024 NBA Finals.

Tatum took part in a 5-on-5 practice with the Maine Celtics at the Auerbach Center last week, and continues to be forward of schedule so far as the arduous rehab course of that comes with an Achilles harm. 

“I’m nonetheless attempting to determine it out,” Tatum told reporters last Tuesday about his potential return. “Nonetheless simply going by the progressions of rehab. I’m not saying that I’m coming again or I’m not. It’s all about being 100% wholesome and simply going by the plan of this protocol.”

 

Conor Ryan is a employees author masking the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Purple Sox for Boston.com, a job he has held since 2023.