SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Though others have begun to speculate on when injured Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum will suit up again, he said Saturday that he has no date in mind yet for a return to game action and still has not decided whether he will play at all this season. Still, in another sign of progress during his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles, he revealed he recently went through a 5-on-5 workout involving Celtics teammates.
“It’s tough to go into details of every single thing I do every day,” Tatum said, “but I will say (I’m) just getting acclimated more and doing limited things with some of the guys out there. But it’s all a part of the rehab. We’re just going with the plan.”
The Celtics were adamant they did not hold a practice before their first game back from the All-Star break, but the team’s official social media accounts posted photos of the team working out together at the University of San Francisco. In one of the photos, Tatum could be seen driving against Luka Garza. The game clock and shot clock were both on, suggesting the players were competing in some sort of scrimmage. Tatum said it was an optional workout involving him and some of his teammates.
“There was a little 5-on-5 (during the workout),” Tatum said.
Another day of work 💪 pic.twitter.com/EJD0iT58rP
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 21, 2026
Despite the latest step forward in his rehabilitation, Tatum said he still has not returned to fully practicing at the NBA level and that “nothing is set in stone” for him to do so. It wasn’t clear exactly how much, if anything, he intended to do at the Celtics’ practice Saturday in Santa Monica. Head coach Joe Mazzulla, speaking minutes before that practice started, said he had “no idea” whether Tatum would participate.
“We haven’t made a practice plan yet,” Mazzulla said.
Mazzulla said Tatum’s eventual return to full practices will depend on his ability to continue hitting check marks in his rehabilitation. He recently participated in parts of a practice with the Maine Celtics, the Boston Celtics’ G League affiliate.
“He did it with Maine there and came out great, but it is just trusting the group that we have around him,” Mazzulla said. “It’s trusting (trainer) Nick (Sang), and it’s trusting our sports science team, and it’s trusting his strength and development program. It’s just trusting all those things and taking it step by step, and so, just making sure that we stick to that as much as we can.”
Added Mazzulla, “He’s just continuing to get better on the court. He’s going through his progression of his workouts, working on his reads, and then continuing to hit his check marks in the weight room and in the treatment room as well. So the main goal is just making sure he gets 100 percent healthy and continuing to get better and better.”
Despite Tatum’s absence, the 36-19 Celtics have played like Eastern Conference contenders. The prospect of adding an All-NBA player for the stretch run is tantalizing, but Tatum reiterated that he has not decided whether he will return this season. He has stated that he won’t suit up again until he feels 100 percent.
“I think it’s just important that I’ve worked this hard to just kind of get myself in a position where it could be a conversation,” Tatum said. “And I think we’ve done a really good job of that.”
He added, “It’s something that’s very serious. The injury that I had, it’s a long journey, so, for me, it’s just a lot easier to just take it one day at a time and see how I progress from here.”
What’s next for Tatum? As he ramps up his training, he said it is important to continue challenging his body.
“Just exposing yourself to things during workouts,” Tatum said. “It’s all about exposing your body and your tendon to those moves and movements, then seeing how you respond the next day.”
While Tatum works to return to full strength, Mazzulla said the mental side of the six-time All-Star’s recovery will be “just as important.”
“It goes back to you just trust the team that we have,” Mazzulla said. “There’s a lot of great people that he has around him. There’s a lot of great people that we have in our organization that are able to do that. Whether it’s our sports science department, our sports psych department, we just have great people. So it’s just trusting all the people to make sure that you put him and really all our players in the best possible position physically, mentally, emotionally and whatnot.”
Tatum, who tore an Achilles tendon in May during the second round of the NBA playoffs, said patience has been valuable throughout his recovery. He said he can’t rush the rehab process and needs to move at his own pace.
“I know what 100 percent feels like,” Tatum said. “And if and when that time comes, I’ll be ready.”