Nearly 11 months after tearing his right Achilles tendon at Madison Square Garden in the playoffs, Jayson Tatum is set to return for Thursday night’s Boston Celtics-New York Knicks matchup.
In a place he’s competed 14 times throughout his career, Tatum underwent his darkest NBA experience. So when asked after Tuesday night’s win over the Charlotte Hornets, whether or not he was looking forward to ripping the band-aid of returning to MSG, Tatum was straightforward.
“Nah, not really,” Tatum told reporters,
per CLNS Media.
The last time Tatum took the floor at Madison Square Garden, he was assisted out of the building in a wheelchair in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He clenched his face with both hands in the players’ tunnel and underwent surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon the following day. From there, Tatum faced nearly a year away from basketball, recovering, regaining strength, and working toward a return to prevent missing an entire season with the Celtics.
Tatum set that goal long before Boston took the floor without him to begin the 2025-26 campaign. On March 6, he made his official return against the Dallas Mavericks. On March 29, against Charlotte, Tatum recorded his first 30-point game, and then three days later, he notched his first triple-double (the fifth of his career) versus the Miami Heat.
As he checked box after box, taking steps toward getting acclimated while also delivering impactful minutes, Tatum knew the time would come to re-take the floor at Madison Square Garden.
Admittedly, Tatum hasn’t been able to remove it from his mind entirely.
“Yeah, I’ve thought about it,” he said. “I’m not thrilled to go back and play there. The last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me. Obviously, I knew at some point I would have to get over that hurdle and play there again.”
Tatum added: “It’s part of it. I decided to come back and play.”
The long-awaited return hasn’t been flawless. Tatum missed a wide-open tomahawk dunk against the Mavericks in his first game back, and his field-goal (41.9) and 3-point (33.8) percentages, so far, are beneath his career averages of 45.8 and 36.9 percent. His 8-of-15 shooting against Charlotte on Tuesday night marked just the third time Tatum has managed to shoot over 50 percent in a game.
Still, it hasn’t negatively impacted the Celtics, who are 13-2 with Tatum this season.
If Boston defeats New York on Thursday night, the win would officially clinch the No. 2 seed for the Celtics. So there are stakes involved in what should be a playoff-like environment at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have won their last five home games, including seven of their last 10. They’ve already beaten Boston twice in three previous meetings, meaning the Celtics could put their regular-season series with New York to rest with a 2-2 split in the finale.
Tatum could play a major role for the Celtics, who have ruled out Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendinitis) and listed Derrick White and Neemias Queta as questionable for the marquee matchup.
“I was going to have to play there at some point, so might as well get it out of the way now,” Tatum said.
Boston has gone 11-2 over its last 13 games, reinforcing its status as a threat to come out of the East and return to the NBA Finals for the third time in five seasons. It’s been 12 weeks since they overtook the Knicks for the No. 2 seed and held it. With three games left, Tatum and the Celtics understand the importance of maintaining that momentum entering the playoffs.
That’s what’s allowed them to keep their No. 2 seed for 12 straight weeks, and what’ll ultimately help them once they draw their first-round opponent officially.
“Just ramping up at the right time,” Tatum said. “Knowing that post All-Star break is pivotal for teams really trying to compete for a championship. And you want to be physically feeling your best as a unit, playing well together, clicking on all cylinders. And this year is no different. We’ve been playing extremely well going into the playoffs up to this point, and knowing that we’ve got a few games left to feel really good about ourselves and then find out who we’re going to play.”
