Is Jayson Tatum enough to get the Celtics past the Pistons?

The Boston Celtics get welcoming news this week that their star Jayson Tatum could make his anticipated return from his Achilles injury this Friday. He suffered a torn Achilles in the NBA playoffs, during an Eastern Conference semifinals game against the New York Knicks. After four months he was back on the court and now 10 months almost to the day, Tatum’s eyeing his return. Without him, the Celtics were able to remain atop the Eastern Conference standings and they essentially haven’t skipped a beat.

But will getting Tatum back actually be what helps the Celtics get past the Detroit Pistons, the top team in the East? The Celtics hope so because with Tatum back, the pressure to put together a championship run gets a whole lot higher. 

Boston getting its star back might be the key to a title run

Before we start putting expectations on Tatum as he makes his return soon to the Celtics, we have to keep in mind that he will still need to ramp up actual game speed. He’s not going to come back and immediately be the slasher and off-dribble scorer he was pre-injury. You have to take into account as well that this team is still good without him, they don’t need him to be a carbon copy of his former self immediately. 

That said, this is truly the best time for him to come back if Boston wants to tease just how ready they are to get back to the top of the NBA. 

The Pistons haven’t just looked like the NBA’s best, they’re playing like it. While regular season success doesn’t immediately translate to deep playoff runs, it does help you understand how well teams match up. Right now, Boston is 3-1 in the four games against the Pistons. Last year, the two teams split. If the current standings hold up, the two would meet again in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

That would be the first time the two teams would play since Tatum’s return. Is he the x-factor? It all depends on how Boston re-incorporates him into the squad. To throw him in and let him take over would implode any chemistry the team has already built. At the same time, for a team that’s top 10 in the NBA in isolation rate, they also aren’t going to expect him to be a spot up shooter. 

We don’t know what Tatum is going to look like in his return, but if he looks even a shade of what he did last year, he will be the difference in Boston getting past Detroit or coming up short in another championship-hopeful season. 

Is Jayson Tatum’s return too soon?

If Boston was floating around the play-in in the Eastern conference standings, I would say sure, bring Tatum back and see what he could to elevate this team. Boston has been playing exceptional without him. Believe it or not, their numbers have hardly dipped this season without Tatum. So why rush to bring him back? 

You obviously don’t want to diminish his role, but bringing him back could drastically affect what Boston is able to accomplish this season. It’s a risk they are taking in bringing him back. If it works, then good for them. If it costs them the No. 2 seed, then they’ll only have themselves to blame.

Sure Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles injury was roughly a month after Tatum’s, but he’s not rushing to get back. The Indiana Pacers aren’t good this year, but still, Haliburton is taking his time with his recovery. That’s the risk Tatum is taking by coming back this year when he doesn’t necessarily have to. 

Boston will welcome Tatum back with open arms, but it doesn’t mean he needs to be back as soon as he can. The Celtics are just fine without him and the risk of adding him back this soon far outweigh the gain of getting back fully healthy.

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