The Boston Celtics have been one of the surprise stories of the first half of the NBA season, currently sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference despite playing without injured superstar Jayson Tatum. In Tatum's absence, Jaylen Brown has taken his game to a borderline MVP level, and Boston has also gotten elite supporting cast play from players like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.
Tatum tore his Achilles last May in the Celtics' shocking playoff collapse against the New York Knicks, and some fans have speculated that the star could make an attempt to return to the court as soon as this season.
On Monday, Adam Himmselsbach of the Boston Globe took to X, formerly Twitter, with some footage of Tatum working out in Detroit prior to Boston's game against the Pistons, and it certainly looked encouraging.
Jayson Tatum getting a full workout in at Celtics shootaround here in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/Lyu4Vne4hp
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) January 19, 2026
Needless to say, fans in the comment section were ecstatic by what they saw.
“He’s returning first game after break,” speculated one fan.
“Imagine not having to rush your best player back because you're currently sitting in the second seed in the Conference,” wrote another.
The Celtics will get a look at the first seed in the conference, the Detroit Pistons, on Monday night, in what should be a good test. Boston is coming off a blowout road win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, in a game in which Jaylen Brown scored 41 points in three quarters, and Sam Hauser scored 30 points on 10-21 shooting from beyond the three-point line.
If Tatum is somehow able to return at some point this season, it's entirely possible that the Celtics could be viewed as the favorites to come out of the East. They're already on the short list of teams with a legit chance to make the NBA Finals this year even without him in the lineup.
The Celtics and Pistons are slated to tip off at 8:00 pm ET.
