Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum talks with reporters during media day at the Auerbach Center.

Jayson Tatum got NBA fans excited over the weekend when he posted a video of himself back on the court, doing workouts and moving around like he didn't just tear his Achilles less than five months ago.

While most thought the devastating injury meant he'd missed the entire 2025-26 season -- especially with the Boston Celtics likely to take a step back after offloading other stars for salary cap purposes -- the video was reason enough to pause on that assumption. What if Tatum recovers quicker than expected? Would he actually return this season?

It doesn't seem out the question based on recent comments from Tatum.

When is Jayson Tatum returning from injury?

The Celtics haven't provided a timeline for Tatum's return, so the most accurate answer to that question is nobody knows. And Tatum said at Celtics media day Monday that nobody is pressuring him to return sooner than he's ready. "There's no pressure to return back any sooner than when I'm 100 percent healthy," Tatum said.

However, Tatum isn't ruling out the potential for him to be 100 percent healthy sometime during the upcoming season, saying on ESPN's First Take days earlier "I haven't said I'm not playing this season."

"The most important thing is a full recovery. Being 100 percent. Not rushing, at all," Tatum said. "But also, I don't go to rehab six days a week for nothing."

A return to the court in 2025-26 would be on the shorter end of the typical 9-12 month recovery time, so it remains to be seen if Tatum can make that happen. Players typically need entire seasons to rehab. The most likely return based on those past Achilles rehabs still figures to be at the start of the 2026-27 season.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: When will Jayson Tatum return from Achilles injury?

Reporting by Prince J. Grimes, For The Win / For The Win

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect