Is Jayson Tatum coming back from Achilles surgery? Celtics vs. Hornets injury report

The buzz continues to grow the possibility of Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum returning since his Achilles injury before the end of the 2025-26 NBA regular season.

No such official announcement has been made yet, but many seem to believe that the former Duke Blue Devils star will hit the floor sooner than expected.

And if it does happen, will it be this Wednesday, when Boston hosts the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden in Beantown? Here’s everything we know about Jayson Tatum’s injury and his playing status against the Hornets.

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Jayson Tatum injury status against Hornets

Despite the noise, Tatum will not debut in the 2025-26 season against the Hornets, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoint.

“Jayson Tatum remains OUT ahead of tomorrow’s Hornets-Celtics matchup. Amid speculation he could return Wednesday, that will not be the case for the All-Star forward,” Siegel said via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during Game 4 of the Celtics’ second-round NBA playoff series against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2025. He went under the knife the next day to have the injury resolved, and was later ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs and expected to go 2-20 for the entire campaign.

However, reports that Tatum has begun participating in the 5-on-5 scrimmage have sparked speculation that he is set to see action this season. In addition, he also coached with Boston’s G League affiliate the Maine Celtics.

In any case, The Celtics are doing just fine without Tatum. They will enter Charlotte at 41-20, good for second overall in the Eastern Conference standings and on a three-game winning streak after Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks rolled 108-81 on Monday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Tatum, 28, has played in 585 games since being selected third overall by the Celtics in the 2017 NBA Draft, averaging 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from behind the arc.

So when it comes to whether Tatum plays against the Hornets, the answer is no.

Celtics injury report

Jayson Tatum (Achilles): Gone

Hornet injury report

Kobe White (calf): Out vs. Mavericks (Tuesday)