<\/p>\n
The Boston Celtics<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n That is the type of addition we are talking about here.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n He finished the game 6-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range.\u00a0<\/p>\n It is only one game, but this is a game-changer for the Celtics and potentially the entire conference.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nJayson Tatum shines in season debut<\/h2>\n