Brad Stevens Participates In Jayson Tatum’s Post-Christmas Workout
Through every step of Jayson Tatum’s NBA career — through every high and every low — Brad Stevens has been there. Stevens was Tatum’s head coach when JT exploded onto the NBA scene as a rookie, and Stevens was pulling the strings from the front office when Tatum lifted an NBA Finals trophy in 2024.
When Tatum tore his Achilles in May at Madison Square Garden, it was Stevens who draped JT’s arm around his shoulder and helped him off the court in an image that will live forever in the annals of the Celtics franchise. It was Stevens who consoled a grief-stricken Tatum in the locker room.
Now, Stevens is taking a hands-on approach to Jayson’s ongoing rehab as the superstar looks to return to the court during the 2025-26 season.
On Friday, as the Boston Celtics were in Indiana to play the Pacers, Tatum participated in a workout at Butler University. Joining JT on the court was Stevens, the former Butler head coach who led the program to two national championship games.
Stevens donned a baseball hat and athletic gear and took part in drills with Tatum, looking like an epic mix of a GM, coach, trainer, and guru.
It’s hard to describe the emotions that coursed through the veins of Celtics fans as they watched this footage. It felt like watching Rocky Balboa drag a sled through the snow in Rocky IV. There was something special about seeing Stevens actively participate in Tatum’s workout, as if to announce to the world that this comeback, this incredible story, is totally happening. It’s starting to feel historic.
Stevens and the rest of Boston’s front office have been completely non-committal when it comes to a Tatum return. No one has provided an expectation of a date, or any expectation at all that JT will actually come back this year.
Joe Mazzulla reiterated this stance — which the entire franchise holds collectively about Tatum — in a recent interview, saying that everything is up to Jayson.
Even so, the recent footage of Brad re-activating his inner coach and looking like the Mr. Miyagi to Tatum’s Karate Kid had some unspeakable effect on fans, as if to symbolize that — although the Celtics can’t outright say it — a Tatum return is very much in the cards, and that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.
Will it be in March, April, May? We still can’t say, and we shouldn’t speculate beyond that. But this footage is starting to become too exciting to handle.