Jayson Tatum's return to the Celtics: Answering five biggest questions - ESPN

He's back! Six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum is expected to make his season debut on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks, just 10 months after tearing his right Achilles, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.

Tatum, who suffered the injury late in Game 4 of the Boston Celtics' second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, will join a Celtics team that has far surpassed preseason expectations, and is No. 2 in a wide-open Eastern Conference with just weeks to go in the regular season.

Why is Tatum returning now? How does his return impact the title race? How could it change the offseason for the Celtics?

Our NBA insiders answer the five biggest questions surrounding the improbable return of the 2024 NBA champion.

He's returning because his goal has always been to be able to play meaningful basketball this season.

That's why Tatum had surgery the morning after he tore his Achilles at Madison Square Garden, before swelling set in that would've cost him another month.

It was something he learned from studying the experience of his idol, Kobe Bryant, who detailed his recovery from an Achilles injury in a documentary.

For many months, Tatum wasn't sure he'd be ready this season. There were still boxes he had to check — most importantly the mental one, about trusting his body again. But by attacking his rehabilitation the way he has, Tatum has given himself this chance to come back and contribute to the Celtics' playoff run. — Ramona Shelburne

Tatum has led the Celtics in shot attempts in each of the past six seasons; the last Celtics player to shoot the ball more frequently than Tatum was Kyrie Irving in 2018-19. So with such a high-volume player reentering the Boston rotation, one of the biggest questions is how Jaylen