Celtics Notes: Tatum, Scheierman, Brown, Walsh

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is making his season debut on Friday vs. Dallas after tearing his Achilles tendon in the playoffs last May. Head coach Joe Mazzulla discussed Tatum prior to the game.

“We always knew he was going to come back this year,” Mazzulla said (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic). “I knew that when he had surgery within 16 hours of (the injury).”

Mazzulla was asked if the perennial All-NBA member would be on a minutes restriction in his first game in nearly 10 months.

“I have no idea,” Mazzulla replied, per Brian Robb of MassLive (Twitter link).

However, ESPN’s Jorge Sedando later reported (via Twitter) that Tatum would not be on a minutes restriction, and Michael Malone confirmed that news on the broadcast, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Tatum will be in the starting lineup, with Baylor Scheierman moving to the bench, according to Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter links).

Here’s more from Boston:

• Five ESPN insiders answer five questions about Tatum’s return. As ESPN’s Zach Kram writes, Tatum has led the team in field goal attempts per game each of the past six seasons, so it might take some time for the Celtics to adjust to having him back once he finds his rhythm. That’s particularly true for Jaylen Brown, who has the second-highest usage rate in the league this season, Kram notes. Still, the attention Tatum receives should only benefit the Celtics, who have the second-best offensive rating in the league, says Kram.
• Brown’s strong play — and the team’s success with him as the No. 1 option — has led to some renewed speculation that he should continue in that role for the rest of the season. Former Celtic Grant Williams tells King of The Athletic he’s tired of hearing the debate about how Brown and Tatum fit together, especially after they won the title in 2024. “It’s the same dumb s–t they’ve been talking about since I was here,” Williams told The Athletic. “So I think neither one of (Tatum or Brown) should pay any attention to it because they’re both phenomenal human beings, but also phenomenal players. And no matter what the media says, they’ve shown that they can play with one another and they add to one another’s games. And no matter who gets the attention, no matter who gets the praise, the ultimate goal is winning. Both of those two deserve to be in the Celtics rafters one day. And by doing it together, they’ll be able to do it at a high level.”
• Third-year forward Jordan Walsh will be out Friday due to an illness, the Celtics announced (via Twitter). Boston holds a $2.4MM team option on Walsh, a 2023 second-round pick, for next season.