Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, when the Boston Celtics played the New York Knicks. His injury is believed to put him out for the entirety of the 2025-26 NBA season, but Tatum is not shutting the door on a return this year.In an appearance on "The Today Show" on Wednesday, Tatum said he is not rushing his recovery, yet he remained open to the possibility of returning to the Celtics this year.“Not rushing it. But I haven't said like, 'Yo, I'm not playing this season,' or anything like that," he said.Tatum had surgery to repair his Achilles in May, putting him four months into his recovery. The usual timeline for such an injury in the NBA is a season-long layoff.Tatum led the Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship before getting eliminated last season in six games against the Knicks. Last year, he averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 72 regular-season games.The Celtics have since reshaped their roster with the assumption that Tatum would not return this season, trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, both of whom played key roles in the title run. The Celtics finished second in the East last season with a 61-21 record.Jayson Tatum keeps in touch with other injured players in his recoveryJayson Tatum was one of the several NBA stars who suffered a debilitating injury during the 2025 playoffs. According to him, he has kept in touch with players such as Damian Lillard, Tyrese Haliburton, and Dejounte Murray, who ruptured his Achilles during the regular season last year."We've all been in communication ... Dejounte, Dame, Tyrese," Tatum said during ESPN's First Take last Wednesday. "We're all at different points in our recovery. I text them all the time to ask what can you do, and what are you doing in your workouts. We're all in the same boat, just kind of checking in on each other."Lillard, the former Bucks star, tore his Achilles during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, while Haliburton got his injury during Game 7 of the NBA Finals.The Celtics will open the 2025-26 regular season against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 22.