Boston Celtics
“I’ll say that much.”
Jayson Tatum seems to be ramping up toward a potential return to the Celtics this season. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
February 14, 2026 | 12:39 PM
2 minutes to read
Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr. couldn’t hold back his smile when he was asked about Jayson Tatum’s performance in his recent practice with the Maine Celtics.
In an interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio, Harper shared that Tatum played like himself during the practice with the Celtics’ G League affiliate on Tuesday.
“He looked like Jayson Tatum,” Harper said. “I’ll say that much.”
Harper, who participated in that practice, continued to tease Tatum’s potential return, but wouldn’t say if the Celtics star is returning this season as he continues to rehab from an Achilles tear he suffered last May.
“We’re real excited,” Harper said. “We’ve got this jokester sitting down, but we’re real excited about the potential of him coming back. We don’t know for sure if [he is] or not going to come back. But we’re just real excited to see him progress during his rehab.”
Jayson Tatum looked like Jayson Tatum. Ron Harper Jr explains the excitement in the Celtics locker room following Jayson Tatum’s G-League practice. Can the Boston Celtics win it all with Tatum back in the lineup?
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Tatum’s practice with the Maine Celtics ramped up speculation that he could very well return this season, and it might be the best sign yet that it could happen. But Tatum didn’t want people read too much into his practice when he met with reporters on Tuesday.
“It was the next step,” Tatum said. “Doesn’t mean that I’m coming back [this season] or I’m not. It’s just following the plan.”
Tatum’s status on the Celtics’ injury report hasn’t changed once this season, with the team continuing to rule him out for each game. The team has still refused to give a potential timetable for his return, too. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has also iterated that Tatum won’t return until he’s “110 percent” ready, most recently giving a variation of that quote following the trade deadline earlier in February.
Still, it’s hard not to wonder if Tatum might actually return this season. Typically, when a player practices with their team’s G League affiliate, it’s a sign that their return is coming sooner rather than later. Tatum’s also been participating in five-on-five scrimmages with Celtics’ coaches, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Sunday. Former NBA player Lou Williams said that’s typically a sign that a player is roughly a month away from returning.
For now, though, Tatum has expressed happiness just to be back on the court and praciticing less than a year after suffering the devastating injury.
“I’m feeling good,” Tatum said. “It was good to be a part of practice yesterday with the Maine G League guys. [It’s been] 39 weeks, so it’s been a long journey.”
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