Jaylen Brown Makes Bold Prediction On Jayson Tatum’s Return

Jayson Tatum’s potential return from an Achilles tendon tear has been a hot topic among Boston Celtics fans over the opening months of the 2025-26 NBA season. The All-NBA forward has been posting increasingly encouraging workout videos on social media, showcasing his recovery.

With each passing upload, hope grows that Tatum could be back in Joe Mazzulla’s rotation before the end of the regular season. In a recent Twitch livestream, Jaylen Brown admitted that he wouldn’t be shocked to see Tatum back so soon after suffering such a significant injury.

“You know, the doctors are different now,” Brown said. “And JT just always recovers quickly. He never really gets hurt…He’ll probably break the record for the fastest recovery from an Achilles in history or some s—. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Jaylen Brown on Jayson Tatum’s recovery:

“He’ll probably break the record for the fastest recovery in Achilles history. I wouldn't put it past him.” 👀
pic.twitter.com/owZMWU2LQq

— jb (@lockedupjb) December 18, 2025

Tatum has made no secret of his desire to get back on the court. He’s working endlessly to get his body into shape and potentially help his team as we get closer to the postseason. However, as Brad Stevens noted during a recent media availability, Tatum still has multiple hurdles he needs to clear.

“There’s the strength thresholds he has to meet,” Stevens said. “And then, after that, several weeks of progressions, right, from the standpoint of scripted against small groups, scripted against bigger groups, scripted in 5-on-5, unscripted random, all the way up through those. But it’s a long progression, and it’s almost like, once you hit the strength, then you do your thresholds of a progression of play, and then you’re also reconditioning to play real minutes, whatever that looks like.”

Even if Tatum does return this season, it will take time for him to get back to his best. It’s highly unlikely he hits the ground running, at least not at the level we’ve become used to. He may also be kept on a minutes restriction as he ramps back up.

The Celtics appear to be taking a cautious approach with Tatum. If we do see him back on the court this season, we should rest assured that he’s passed stringent testing. Whether his return will be enough to elevate Boston into championship contention this season is another question entirely.