Speculation around Jayson Tatum’s return intensified Sunday after Bill Simmons highlighted scheduling and ticket trends involving the Boston Celtics.
Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons noted that Boston’s March 1 matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers was moved from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“I don’t know if you saw this over the weekend. Celtics and Sixers on Sunday night March 1st. Moved from six to eight PM. That got a hmm,” Simmons said, via ClutchPoints. “I had been hearing first week of March for a while. That it was going to be somewhere around that March 4th, March 6th game. Conspiracy Bill has also noted that if you go on any ticket resale site for the Dallas March 6th game, the prices are way out of whack. And it can’t just be that Cooper Flagg is coming to town.”
“So it’s really starting to look like March 1st or March 6th, but my money would be on March 1st now for him.”
Tatum has not played this season as he continues to recover from injury. Last week, the 27-year-old provided an update, saying, “I’m feeling good,” while emphasizing that he is following a structured rehabilitation plan.
“Today is 39 weeks, so it’s been, you know, it’s been a long journey,” he said. “It’s just like the progression of rehab… we’re just following the plan.”
The six-time All-Star recently practiced with Boston’s G League affiliate and described the session as a step forward. “It was good. It was just kind of good to be out there. Had a jersey on… just kind of felt good to be a part of a team and practice and go through reps,” he said.
Boston enters the week 35-19, second in the Eastern Conference. The club is averaging 115.3 points per game and shooting 36.3% from three as a team.
In Tatum’s absence, Jaylen Brown is averaging 29.3 points and 6.9 rebounds across 49 games. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are each contributing 17.2 points per contest.
From a basketball standpoint, reintegrating a high-usage forward midseason requires balance. Tatum acknowledged that dynamic. “Obviously, I know what I bring to the table… but I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well,” he said.
The Celtics added Nikola Vucevic to bolster the frontcourt, and Tatum praised the veteran center’s fit within the system.
For now, no official date has been announced. However, national scheduling changes and secondary market movement have fueled belief that early March could mark the return of Boston’s primary scoring option.
