The eye test says Jayson Tatum is nearing a return, but he keeps saying that “nothing is set in stone.”
Tatum is with his teammates on a West Coast road swing, which includes a game against the rival Lakers on Sunday on NBC and Peacock. At Celtics practice Saturday in Santa Monica, he said on Monday he went through a 5-on-5 workout and practice, the second time he has done that (the first was with the Maine Celtics of the G League).
Those workouts and practices are usually the final steps before a return to court, but after practice Saturday, Tatum refused to put a timeline on his return from a torn Achilles when speaking to reporters (see the interview at NBC Sports Boston).
“Nothing is set in stone, just more so work out, see how you recover the next day, then make a plan from there…” Tatum said.
“It’s tough to go into details of every single thing I do every day, but I will say just getting acclimated more and doing limited things with some of the guys out there. But it’s all a part of the rehab. We’re just going with the plan.”
Boston is 36-19 and sits as the No. 2 seed in the East. Even without Tatum, it is a threat to come out of the conference and advance to the NBA Finals. With Tatum — a player who has finished in the top six in MVP voting for four consecutive years — the Celtics might be the favorite.
Which is why everyone is watching his return. Right now, all anyone in Boston will say is that they are following the plan. But the eye test suggests that the plan is almost complete, and his return could come sooner rather than later.
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