Celtics won’t rule out Jayson Tatum playing next season — but he won’t be rushing back

Brad Stevens said the Celtics aren’t discussing a timeline for Tatum’s return — but didn’t entirely rule him out for the 2025-26 season.

The Indiana Pacers have formally ruled out Tyrese Haliburton playing next season as he recovers from an Achilles rupture he suffered last month. But Celtics general manager Brad Stevens declined to make a similar declaration regarding Jayson Tatum, who ruptured his Achilles tendon six weeks before Haliburton did.

“We’re not even talking about timeline for return,” Stevens said matter-of-factly on Tuesday. “We’re not even going there.”

From the jump, Stevens has made clear that the organization would prioritize Tatum’s long-term health and not put any pressure on him with an expected timeline. Stevens said that the six-time All-Star has been in the building daily, focused on his rehab.

The public got a glimpse of that last week, when Tatum posted a video of himself walking in a pool alongside his trainer and close friend, Nick Sang.

“Jayson is working every single day,” Stevens said. “He has literally been here every day except for a few day break. But when he takes a few days break, Nick goes with him, so he’s still working every single day.”

Jaylen Brown has also regularly been at the Auerbach Center

Jaylen Brown, who had knee surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus last month, has also been focused on his rehab daily. Brown is expected to be ready to go before training camp begins in October.

“We have no reason to believe Jaylen won’t be all clear and ready to go fairly shortly,” Stevens said.

Stevens noted it’s unusual for the Celtics’ stars to be around the facility at this point in the offseason, and shared that Brown was in for a shooting workout early Tuesday morning and that Tatum seems to be progressing well.

“Jayson was in moving pretty fast on that boot today, so all indications are they’re both progressing at incredible rates, which is great,” Stevens said. “But we’re not gonna put any pressure on Jayson to get back anytime soon.”

Meanwhile, rookie Hugo Gonzalez said he feels “blessed” to get the chance to be around both veterans as he acclimates to the organization.

“They are really, really good players, one of the best in the league,” Gonzalez said. “Having them near here, learning about them, and everything, is just an opportunity that I’m really blessed to have.”