Boston Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr. said Jayson Tatum looked like himself during a recent G League practice assignment, fueling optimism about the All-Star forward’s potential return to the lineup.
Speaking Friday on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Harper described Tatum’s participation with the Maine Celtics as encouraging as the 27-year-old continues to rehab from an Achilles tear.
“He looked like Jayson Tatum. I’ll say that much.”
Harper added that the team is eager about the possibility of reintegrating Tatum into the rotation.
“We’re real excited… we’re real excited for the potential of him coming back. We don’t know for sure if or not he’s going to come back. But we’re 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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On Monday, the organization announced via X that Tatum would be assigned to participate in portions of Maine’s practice at the Auerbach Center before being immediately recalled to Boston.
“Jayson Tatum will be assigned to participate in portions of the @MaineCeltics practice at the Auerbach Center this afternoon.
Following this practice, Tatum will be immediately recalled to the Boston Celtics, where he will continue his rehab process.”
Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, six assists and 1.1 steals per game last season while shooting 45.2% from the field and 34.3% from 3-point range across 72 games. He suffered the Achilles injury during Boston’s second-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks.
Brad Stevens reiterates Celtics’ confidence in Jayson Tatum’s return timeline
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said last week that Tatum’s impact remains undeniable.
“Obviously, any team with Jayson Tatum’s going to be better,” Stevens said Friday, via ESPN. “If he needs it, I’ll tell him every day. Because every team — all 30 of us — would be way, way better with him on the team.”
Stevens emphasized that there is no pressure placed on Tatum as he works through his recovery timeline.
“Those are just things that go through everybody’s minds. In all of our conversations, he’s confident he can make the team better, too… He’s hit a lot of the thresholds, he’s doing more and more, and will continue to do more and more. There’s no pressure from us. But there’s also not going to be any of us saying, ‘Well, why don’t you just take another week?’ It’s going to be: When he’s ready, he’s ready.”
Boston enters All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles with a 35-19 record, holding the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Guard Jaylen Brown has anchored the roster in Tatum’s absence with an MVP-caliber campaign, but Harper’s comments underscore the lift the Celtics expect once their franchise cornerstone is fully cleared.
For now, Tatum’s G League showing represents another step in a measured rehabilitation process — one that has teammates encouraged about what lies ahead.
