Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon on May 12, 2005. Less than 10 months later, he returned to the court on Friday, March 6, when the Celtics hosted the Dallas Mavericks.
Tatum was expected to be on a minutes restriction in his first game back from injury, but still started against Dallas and played 27 minutes. While he was doing well assisting teammates, he had plenty of rust shooting. Tatum started 0-6 from the floor and finished the first half with just five points.
He looked much calmer coming out of halftime and more like himself. Tatum added 10 second-half points to finish with 15, and added 12 rebounds to complete a double-double. Boston had no problem handling Dallas, eventually winning by 20 points.
Here’s a look at how the Celtics star performed in his return to the court.
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Jayson Tatum stats today
- Minutes: 27
- Points: 15
- Rebounds: 12
- Assists: 7
- Turnovers: 2
- Steals: 1
- Blocks: 0
- Fouls: 2
- FG: 6-16
- 3FG: 3-8
- FT: 0-0
Tatum was alright getting his teammates involved, but he has struggled to find his shot from the floor. He began the game 0-6 overall and 0-3 from beyond the arc. Tatum finally scored with about one minute left in the first half, and quickly followed it up with his first three-pointer of the game.
He looked much more settled coming out of halftime, scoring seven points in the first half of the third quarter. Tatum added only three points the rest of the way, but still helped the Celtics with boards and assists. He finished the game with a double-double, and while it was a slow start, the Boston faithful arguably couldn’t have asked for much more from him in his return.
Final Score: Celtics 120, Mavericks 100
Jayson Tatum highlights
Tatum heads to the court for pre-game warm-ups.
Chills pic.twitter.com/0iXmze7KNZ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 7, 2026
Tatum gets introduced for the first time this season.
Tatum is back pic.twitter.com/CNBmxeXSL8
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) March 7, 2026
The Celtics star gets on the box score with an assist in the first quarter.
Jayson Tatum immediately making Neemias Queta’s life much easier pic.twitter.com/tB2MdRjjWz
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 7, 2026
Tatum went for a dunk in the second quarter but showed he still has some rust to shake off.
Next time, JT 😅
Jayson Tatum attempts the dunk in his return from injury. pic.twitter.com/gcYUxaqB5l
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 7, 2026
Here are Tatum’s first points back after his injury.
WELCOME BACK JT ☘️
TD Garden was chanting after Tatum’s first points 💚 https://t.co/sMzOY7Y561 pic.twitter.com/Qu9iMxIPrP
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 7, 2026
The star began turning it on in the third quarter.
Jayson Tatum is heating up in his return 👀
📺 ESPN, ESPN App pic.twitter.com/pnV2l0LOD0
— ESPN (@espn) March 7, 2026
Jayson Tatum injury details
Tatum tore his Achilles on May 12, 2025. The season-ending injury came in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals when the Celtics were facing the New York Knicks. There was only 2:58 left in the game when he went down with the non-contact injury. The Knicks would go on to win the series, but lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers, who eventually lost in the NBA Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
How old is Jayson Tatum
Tatum was born on March 3, 1998. He recently turned 28 years old and is playing in his ninth career season, all with Boston.
