Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Sixers, Kolek, Hukporti

With the streaking Celtics having climbed to the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference on the strength of five consecutive wins and Jayson Tatum doing 1-on-1 work, head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked on Wednesday when conversations might begin in earnest about the possibility of the star forward returning from his Achilles tear in the coming months.

“It’s all up to him,” Mazzulla said, per Jay King of The Athletic. “At the end of the day, his health is the most important thing, his process is the most important thing. You trust him, trust the team that’s around him — he’s got a great team — and then you just kind of go from there. So it kind of just all starts (with) where him and his team think he’s at.”

While Tatum will certainly be involved in the decision on if and when he returns to the court this season, it’s not his to make alone. The Celtics’ front office and medical team, as well as Tatum’s own doctors, will be involved in determining what that plan looks like.

Mazzulla made it clear that he’s not spending much time thinking about whether or not he’ll get Tatum back in his lineup later in the season, since he appreciates the way the 27-year-old is contributing to the team even without playing in games.

“To me, the only thing I care about is his presence and his leadership, and he’s given that in different ways — on the bench for games, communicating with guys, in film sessions, traveling with us,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, he’s on our team. He’s a part of our team. He’s helping us get better, and then everything else just comes down to him and the people around him, and you just trust that.”

We have more from around the Atlantic:

• The Sixers need more from their centers, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who notes that Joel Embiid went 4-for-21 from the floor in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, while Andre Drummond was a -15 in 18 minutes despite registering a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds). Both big men struggled defensively against the Lakers’ duo of Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, who combined to make all eight of their shot attempts, Pompey adds.
• Knicks reserve guard Tyler Kolek didn’t get off the bench during the team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal loss last season, but he used his share of the prize money to buy his mother a car, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. This time around, Kolek – who has appeared in 10 consecutive games for New York – should play a more active role in determining how far the Knicks advance. He was a +13 in less than eight minutes on the court in Tuesday’s quarterfinal victory over the Raptors. Asked if his mom will be getting another car this Christmas using his NBA Cup prize money, Kolek replied, “Nope, my dad wants the next one.”
• Ariel Hukporti‘s speed could be his path to an increased role with the Knicks, according to Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News, (subscription required) who notes that head coach Mike Brown referred to Hukporti as “one of the fastest bigs I’ve ever been around.” Hukporti, who has had a limited role this fall, logged a season-high 23 minutes in Sunday’s win over Orlando, but played just 73 seconds on Tuesday vs. Toronto and was assigned to the G League on Wednesday (Twitter link).