The buzz continues to grow about the possibility of Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum returning from his Achilles injury before the end of the 2025-26 NBA regular season.
There is no such official announcement yet about it, but many seem to believe that the former Duke Blue Devils star will hit the floor sooner than initially expected.
And if it's going to happen, will it be this Wednesday, when Boston takes on the visiting Charlotte Hornets at the TD Garden in Beantown? Here's everything we know about Jayson Tatum's injury and his playing status vs. the Hornets.
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)*
Jayson Tatum injury status vs. Hornets
Despite the buzz, Tatum will not be making his 2025-26 season debut against the Hornets, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
“Jayson Tatum remains OUT ahead of tomorrow night's Hornets-Celtics clash. Amid speculation that he could return on Wednesday, that will not be the case for the All-Star forward,” Siegel shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury during Game 4 of the Celtics' second-round NBA Playoffs series against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2025. He went under the knife the following day to address the injury and was later declared out for the rest of the playoffs and was expected to be unavailable for the entire 2025-26 campaign.
However, reports that Tatum has begun participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages have sparked speculation that he is gearing up to see action this season. In addition, he also practiced with Boston's G League affiliate Maine Celtics.
In any case, the Celtics are doing just fine even without Tatum. They will enter the meeting with Charlotte with a 41-20 record, good for second overall in the Eastern Conference standings and on a three-game winning streak following a 108-81 thumping of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The 28-year-old Tatum has played 585 games since he was selected by the Celtics as the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, averaging 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while shooting 45,9 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from behind the arc.
So, when it comes to the question of if Tatum is playing vs. the Hornets, the answer is no.
Celtics injury report
Jayson Tatum (Achilles): Out
Hornets injury report
Coby White (Calf): Out vs. Mavericks (Tuesday)
