Bill Simmons makes a stunning prediction on Jayson Tatum's Celtics return date

We might not have to wait much longer to see former Duke star Jayson Tatum play basketball again.

Tatum has missed the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the NBA Playoffs last year against the New York Knicks. 10 months later, and the Boston Celtics superstar could be ramping up for a return that changes everything in the Eastern Conference race.

The Celtics have surprised even themselves with their ability to remain competitive sans-Tatum. It appeared Boston was angling to punt this season away after trading both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis over the offseason. But led by Jaylen Brown, the Celtics are in second-place in the East, and could get Tatum back sooner than most thought.

According to Bill Simmons, who is a well-known Celtics superfan, Tatum could return as early as Friday for Boston's primetime matchup at home on ESPN against the Dallas Mavericks:

Bill Simmons says 'all signs' point to a Friday return for Jayson Tatum

In the above clip, Simmons didn't dig into what the signs were, but it's notable that the conversation is taking place with NBA insider Zach Lowe, who didn't scoff at Simmons' prediction for Tatum to be back at the end of this week.

It would seem likely that Tatum's return would be for a nationally televised game. It would also seem obvious that Boston would want the game to take place at home. If not this Friday, then the next nationally televised home game for the Celtics takes place on Wednesday, the 18th, against the Golden State Warriors.

Last week, reports came out from Shams Charania that Tatum had returned to 5-on-5 basketball activities, which seemed to indicate a return was coming soon.

Boston staying in contention has ramped up the urgency for Tatum to get back on the court. The NBA Championship race is wide-open, and with as well as the Celtics have played without him, Tatum's return could be the spark Boston needs to win another Eastern Conference crown and potentially capture a second NBA Championship in three years.

It has been a long journey for Tatum to get here, but all of his hard work should be paying off soon with a return to the court.