Jayson Tatum to practice with Maine Celtics as he nears potential return

Boston Celtics

“The best time for Jayson Tatum to come back is when he’s 110 percent healthy.”

Jayson Tatum continues to inch closer and closer to a return to the parquet floor.

Tatum — out since rupturing his Achilles tendon in May 2025 — was assigned to the Maine Celtics on Monday, per a team release. According to the announcement, the star forward expected to take part in practices with the team at the Auerbach Center in Brighton.

After practice — which will feature guard Hugo Gonzalez and center Amari William — Tatum will be recalled to Boston, where he will continue his ongoing rehab process. 

Despite the lengthy recovery timeline that comes with an Achilles tear, Tatum has seemingly been ahead of schedule for months. He posted videos of himself dunking in October, and even held an hour-long workout session in front of reporters in Detroit last month. 

On Sunday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Tatum had been participating in controlled 5-on-5 scrimmages with coaches. 

Tatum being cleared to practice with G-League players is another promising development for the Celtics, who enter Monday tied with the Knicks for second place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 34-19. 

Tatum’s timeline has been favorable for Boston all season long, but the 27-year-old forward admitted he had some hesitancy about coming back this season during an interview on “The Pivot” Podcast last month.

“That’s something I contemplate every day,” Tatum told Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder when asked about fitting in with his teammates once again. “More so about the team. If or when I do come back this season, they will have played 50 some-odd games without me, so they have an identity this year or things that they’ve felt have clicked for them. And it’s been successful. They’re the (second) team in the East up to this point.”

“So there is a thought in my head, like, how does that work? Or how does that look with me integrating myself off the injury … 50, 60 games into a season? There obviously could be some challenges. And it is a thought: Do I come back? Should I wait? It’s something that I honestly, recently, in the last two weeks or so just kind of contemplate every single day.”

Speaking on Friday, Brad Stevens didn’t mince words when asked if there might be any reservations about playing Tatum this season — so long as he’s given a clean bill of health. 

“The best time for Jayson Tatum to come back is when he’s 110 percent healthy, he’s fully cleared by everybody that matters in that decision, and he’s got great peace of mind and he’s ready to do it,” Stevens said, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “That’s it. That’s the objective and that’s what we’re going to stick with.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.