Jayson Tatum has been on the sidelines while recovering from an Achilles tear but surprisingly, the Celtics haven’t missed much of a beat without him, sitting at the second seed in the East. Of course, the addition of a healthy Tatum would propel the team’s chances at the NBA Finals. However, Stephen A. Smith doesn’t think that’ll be a good idea.
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Tatum is one of three star players to injure their Achilles during the 2025 NBA playoffs. Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard were the other two but unlike them, Tatum hesitated to rule out his chances of returning to the court this season.
The Celtics were expected to be a shell of their former selves without Tatum. Besides, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday leaving should have only made them weaker. And if that were the case, there wouldn’t be much incentive for Tatum to come back so quickly. However, the Celtics have a legitimate chance to make it out of the East, even without his services.
But the six-time All-Star’s return wouldn’t be favorable for a team such as the New York Knicks, who might have to go through the Celtics to reach the NBA Finals. So, Celtics fan and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith would rather see Tatum take as much time as he needs and not rush into action.
“Don’t rush, take your time,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “This is usually a 16-18 month recovery.”
“Don’t rush back, take your time. This is usually a 16-18 month recovery.”@stephenasmith on if Jayson Tatum coming back this season would make the Celtics favorites to win the Eastern Conference pic.twitter.com/4YNCcehonu
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 10, 2026
Although Smith is clearly joking, he does care about Tatum’s health. The last thing anyone wants is the NBA champion to return prematurely and reaggravate the injury. However, to say the recovery time for an Achilles injury is 18 months is a bit of an exaggeration. The actual timetable is roughly 9 to 12 months.
Smith is desperate for the Knicks to finally break their championship drought, even if that means he has to persuade the opposition not to compete. Nonetheless, Smith broke character and shed some light on the effect Tatum’s return would have to the Celtics and the East as a whole.
“A healthy Jayson Tatum automatically ascends the Boston Celtics to a top-two team in the East. The issue is whenever he comes back, he’s not going to be 100%,” Smith added.
Nobody is expecting Tatum to be the his former self right out of the gates. With that being said, Tatum may not have the time on his side to get his feet under him. We are only a few months away from the postseason.
As long as everyone on the Celtics, including Tatum, is aware of the reality concerning his ability, then there shouldn’t be a problem. Will that be the case though? The jury is still out as we await whether Tatum eventually suits up for Boston before the season concludes.
