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

Boston Celtics

“My money would be on March 1 for him.”

Jayson Tatum’s return to the parquet floor appears to be imminent, especially when reading the tea leaves involving NBC’s upcoming broadcast of a Celtics’ primetime bout against the 76ers next month.

While the Celtics’ superstar forward has remained mum about when he expects to be back after rupturing his Achilles tendon last May, NBC did post a 90-second trailer during the NBA All-Star Game 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 every Sunday night on NBC in between games during the network’s Sunday Night Basketball games. 

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

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

“Had been hearing first week of March for a while, that it was going to be somewhere around that March 4, March 6 game,” Simmons said on his podcast. “It’s really starting to look like March 1 or March 6. My money would be on March 1 for him.”

Beyond that March 1 primetime match against the Sixers, March 6 would be a home game for Boston against the Dallas Mavericks — the team that Tatum and the Celtics defeated in 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 ahead of schedule as far as the arduous rehab process that comes with an Achilles injury. 

“I’m still trying to figure it out,” Tatum told reporters last Tuesday about his potential return. “Still just going through the progressions of rehab. I’m not saying that I’m coming back or I’m not. It’s all about being 100 percent healthy and just going through the plan of this protocol.”

 

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