The wait may finally be ending.
Jayson Tatum could make his season debut Friday when the Boston Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Tatum is “ready to go,” and the expectation is that he will play. The Celtics have officially listed him as questionable.
They visit the Cavaliers on Sunday.
If it happens, the return will come less than 10 months after Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of Boston’s second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks last May.
He has said all along he wanted his first game back to come at home.
“I know one thing,” Tatum said last September. “My first game back will be at home. It will be in TD Garden. It probably will be emotional.”
Boston hardly collapsed without him. The Celtics enter the stretch run at 41-21 and sitting second in the East. Still, getting Tatum back changes the equation.
From 2022-25, he averaged 27.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and five assists while earning four straight first-team All-NBA selections.
The Celtics have leaned heavily on Jaylen Brown this season, with Brown posting career highs of 28.9 points and five assists per game.
Now comes the next step — reintegrating their franchise player just as the postseason approaches.
Not the worst problem to have.
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