Celtics’ Jayson Tatum starting to feel like himself: ‘Something in my mind clicks’

October 28, 2026

Everybody saw Jayson Tatum’s game-winner against the Nets. Some of the moments that meant the most to him were considerably less obvious.

A cut. An explosive move. A familiar feeling that his body could do something it once did without a second thought.

“I’m 18 months out from when I tore my Achilles,” Tatum said, via Jay King of The Athletic. “And there’s certain moments throughout a game, on and off the ball, where I’m doing a cut or exploding or just doing something that something in my mind clicks, and like ‘Oh, you know, that feeling is really starting to feel like, you know, pre-injury.’”

Tuesday offered plenty of reasons to believe it. Tatum scored 40 points and played 42 minutes, both his highest totals since returning from the injury.

Then came the overtime buzzer-beater that gave the Celtics a 125-124 win.

“That was a hell of a feeling, just kind of getting back to doing things that I used to do before I was injured,” he said. “And sharing that moment with my teammates on the court, seeing them rally and be excited for me.”

For Tatum, though, progress isn’t measured solely by whether the jumper falls.

“I get really excited about some of the movements that I make throughout the game,” he said.

That’s the part a box score can’t capture. The winning shot gave Boston a reason to celebrate. Feeling more like himself gave Tatum another.