NBA stars and legends weigh in on Jayson Tatum’s potential return this season

Boston Celtics

“I expect to see All-Star level play and the same Jayson Tatum we’ve seen before he was injured.”

Jayson Tatum isn’t playing in All-Star weekend for the first time in six years, but he’s still getting attention at the event as his potential return could shake up the back half of the NBA season.

Jaylen Brown has Boston barreling towards the playoffs, currently in possession of the second seed in the East. And a Brown-Tatum duo has been scary in the postseason for a number of years now.

So, while Tatum is still coy about whether he’ll return this season or not, NBA stars of past and present are commenting on his unconfirmed but highly anticipated season debut.

“I expect to see All-Star level play and the same Jayson Tatum we’ve seen before he was injured,” Rockets forward Kevin Durant said during All-Star availability. “And usually around this time you’re playing a lot of 5-on-5, playing against live bodies, just trying to get your rhythm and tempo back.

“So I’m looking forward to seeing him get out there with his team.”

Durant went through an achilles rehab of his own, so he understands firsthand what that process entails. And while Durant took added time in his recovery — missing the entire season after he tore his achilles — he’s also one of the bigger success stories of NBA players coming back from the injury.

Durant has played six seasons since his achilles injury and has yet to finish a season averaging fewer than 26 points per game. He’s also been named an All-Star in each of those years.

NBA Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony also weighed in on Tatum’s situation with a unique perspective on what would make his return so dangerous for the Celtics.

“If Jayson can come back I think it scares the league because now you don’t really have to focus on implementing Jayson Tatum into the actual lineup, he’s going to be on limited minutes,” Anthony told reporters. “So you can play him and figure out where you want to implement him in the grand scheme of things, and still allow Jaylen to continue to lead that team.”

Tatum was able to get more significant practice reps in recent weeks, including some time in Maine with the Celtics’ G League affiliate. Ron Harper Jr. was excited about the way he looked at this stage in his rehab.

If Tatum does return in the next few weeks, it would give him time to find his rhythm playing in live game situations, and also help Boston re-establish its identity as a team with both Tatum and Brown on the court in this iteration of the Celtics.

But regardless of what his minutes look like, Tatum’s return will make the Celtics a serious playoff threat. And to Anthony, it’s not an if, but a when.

“It’s happening. I think it’s happening,” Anthony said of Tatum returning. “They [the Celtics] keep their cards close to their chest. But I think we all can feel something happening there.”