Sources - Celtics' Jayson Tatum expected to make season debut - ESPN

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum is expected to make his 2025-26 NBA season debut against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night at TD Garden, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday.

Tatum, whose return comes less than 10 months after tearing his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, has been described as ready to go, sources told ESPN, and he is expected to inform the Celtics of his final decision ahead of Friday's action.

He has diligently been working on trying to play this season since he suffered the devastating injury against the Knicks. He had surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery by Dr. Martin O'Malley less than 24 hours after the injury occurred.

Tatum, who turned 28 on Tuesday, is a six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection — including four consecutive first teams from 2022-25 — and a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. The potential for his return has been an ongoing storyline all season — one that's only been heightened by Boston's success this season.

The Celtics, led by longtime co-star Jaylen Brown, who is in the thick of the MVP race, are in second place in the Eastern Conference standings entering Friday's action and are on pace for yet another 50-win season. They've received strong contributions from fellow 2024 title veterans Derrick White and Payton Pritchard and impressive growth from young players like center Neemias Queta and wings Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman and rookie Hugo Gonzalez.

It's all validated the approach of coach Joe Mazzulla since the preseason, when he shot down any notion of this being a «gap year» for the Celtics with Tatum hurt and several veterans having left the franchise last summer — Kristaps