SANTA MONICA — It’s been a long road to recovery for Jayson Tatum. A road that still doesn’t have an endpoint. But as he’s driven along it, observing from the passenger seat, he’s been learning. Digesting. Evolving.
Though he’s not on the court, Tatum has been at almost every Celtics game this season. His new seat on the bench has allowed him to learn in a way he’s never been able to before.
So, as he looks to improve, he’s doing so with a new frame of mind.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with the coaches, sitting on the bench, and seeing the game from their lens, and their perspective, and things that they look for,” Tatum said at Santa Monica Preparatory School on Saturday morning. “That’s really taught me a lot throughout this process. Things that will be valuable for when I do return to play.”
That word. Return. The linchpin for all things Tatum this season.
A workout in the suburbs of Detroit. A podcast appearance. A Chris Haynes report. A March 1 Celtics game getting moved to prime time. A docuseries announcement during All-Star Weekend.
No matter where you turn, there’s a new log being thrown into the fire. Kindling with the goal of answering one question:
When is Jayson Tatum coming back?
Everyone wants to know. But nobody does. Not even Tatum himself.
“I do not have a date,” Tatum said. “And like I said, I just take it one day at a time. I feel better than I did yesterday, and that’s most important.”
The definition of insanity is more of a cliche than a useful explanatory tool at this point, but in this instance, it’s the truth. Asking the same question and expecting a different result is useless.
Time and time again, when asked about a potential return, it’s been the same answer. Even when asked about practicing with the Celtics, it was the same.
“Just continue to follow the progression of rehab,” Tatum said. “Nothing is set in stone. It’s moreso, workout, see how you recover the next day, and then you just make a plan from there.”
“It just kind of depends on as he continues to hit those checkmarks, whatever they may be,” Joe Mazzulla said when posed with a similar question. “I think, at the end of the day, we have to make sure that the main goal has always been, get to 100%. Get to as healthy as you possibly can, and go from there.
“So, that's my hope, is that he continues to [strive for that. He's done a great job working. My hope is that he just gets as healthy as he can, and then we kind of go from there.”
Whether it’s Tatum, Mazzulla, Brad Stevens, or any other player on the roster, that’s been the response: He’ll return when he feels ready to return.
And even if Tatum and the Celtics do have a game or date in mind, it’s clear that they