Are the Celtics Rushing Jayson Tatum Back?

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It looks like Jayson Tatum might be returning much sooner than expected. After suffering an Achilles tear less than 10 months ago, the Celtics star is reportedly on track to return tonight. If that holds, this would be one of the fastest returns we’ve seen from an injury such as this.

First off, nothing but respect to Jayson Tatum here. They say an Achilles tear is the worst injury an athlete can suffer, and to come back this fast is a major accomplishment. We’ve seen Wesley Matthews come back in 7 months, and Kobe Bryant come back in about 8 months. However, you also have guys like Klay Thompson that took 14 months, and Kevin Durant didn’t play for 18 months. I assume when you suffer an injury like this, there’s a huge mental aspect as well. I’m sure even if you are cleared by doctors, there’s a hesitation and fear about using that leg again fully. I know I would be scared for those first few NBA games when I’m pushing off that foot a lot, jumping, and cutting. So nothing but respect to Tatum for being both physically and mentally ready to go so quickly.

But the real question: is this actually smart? I mentioned players we’ve seen come back even quicker, but Tatum is still coming back very fast when compared to normal standards for this injury. He did it less than 10 months ago, and he is your franchise player. I read the re-injury risk is greatest in the first couple of years after the initial tear. I’m not going to pretend to be smarter than the doctors clearing him, I’m more wondering is the risk worth the reward?

The Celtics are already rolling without him, which is shocking. Most fans and analysts wrote this team off with Tatum out, Jrue Holiday traded, Kristaps Porzingis traded, and Al Horford signing with the Warriors. Most were looking at the Cavs, Knicks, and Pistons being the top 3 teams in the East this year. But here we are 60+ games into the season and the Celtics are sitting in 2nd place in the East in front of both the Knicks and Cavs. Even if Tatum did not return this season it was likely the Celtics were going to win 50+ games this year. Team chemistry is working. And Jaylen Brown is an MVP candidate. In my opinion, Brown should be the actual MVP given how this team was written off. Wanna talk about value to your team? Who expected the Celtics to be in this spot right now, and Brown is a big part of that. Simply put, this team isn’t desperate.

I mentioned chemistry in the last paragraph, and is that now at risk? Jayson Tatum is a beast who is obviously someone you want on your team, but to input a guy like him onto this team can definitely shake some things up. Rotations will change, usage of certain players will change, ball movement change, etc. Reinserting a superstar player into a team that’s rolling isn’t always as seamless as it sounds.

Now, it would be incredibly unfair of me to not present the counterargument. And that counterargument is that the Eastern Conference is WIDE open. Jayson Tatum is probably a top 10 player in this league when healthy, and come playoff time, you usually need superstars to win titles. Hypothetically, if Tatum uses the end of the season to ramp up and is looking really good heading into the playoffs, the Celtics just got scarier. The re-injury would scare me if I’m the Celtics organization, the chemistry being shook would scare me a bit if I’m Joe Mazzulla, but IF everything works out the Celtics will be really scary. They are already a threat right now without Tatum! So if he can seamlessly slide back in they will only be more dangerous.

So this really is an interesting place to be in for the Celtics. It’s the ultimate risk vs reward scenario here. The Eastern Conference is open to chase another title for sure, but is it worth risking your 28 year old superstar’s future.

Would you bring Tatum back immediately, or play it safe?

Have a take on this? Leave a comment below.

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