The Boston Celtics were already one of the best teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference this season. Now they are even better. They might even be bordering on scary.
The rest of the conference, and the NBA as a whole, was officially put on notice on Friday night when Jayson Tatum made his 2025-26 debut, and played like he never missed any time in a 120-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Jayson Tatum shines in season debut
Less than a year after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during Game 4 of the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals, Tatum made his return to the floor on Friday following a shockingly fast recovery. It gives this version of the Celtics what is essentially a massive trade-deadline addition a month after the fact, and without having to give up anything off its roster.
That is the type of addition we are talking about here.
He played 27 minutes in the win, posting a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. He also added seven assists and was just three assists shy of a triple-double. Had he played a more normal workload in terms of minutes, he probably would have reached it (rather easily) given the way he played.
He finished the game 6-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range.
It is only one game, but this is a game-changer for the Celtics and potentially the entire conference.
Boston has already proved that it has depth, strong coaching and the talent to be a contender without Tatum this season. Now it is adding one of the best players in the league and the core piece of a team that is just one year removed from actually winning an NBA championship, back into the mix.
The question was always going to be how close to 100% he actually is and if he could step right back into the lineup and take control. It is only one game and there is still a long way to go for the remainder of the regular season, but the Celtics have to be feeling really good about what they saw in that one game.