This Friday was a big occasion in the city of Boston as one of the favorite sons returned to the court after a long and painful 10 months. Over the last few games, there were some murmurs about Jayson Tatum’s return to the court, but the suspense was broken against the Dallas Mavericks, and the city celebrated like crazy. The NBA fraternity came together in cherishing the return of the All-NBA forward. However, some people at the TD Garden were happier than others when Tatum scored his first points for the season.

Tatum had a slow start and only got his first point of the season ten minutes into the game with a putback after Payton Pritchard missed a three-point shot. The 28-year-old was welcomed with a strong roar of cheer from the crowd at the TD Garden as he scored his first points of this season. However, the biggest cheerleader for Tatum was his son, Deuce, who was the most hyped to see Tatum back in action. Tatum ended the night recording a double-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists across 27 minutes in a 120-100 win over the Mavericks.

Born in 2007, Deuce has been one of the most lovable figures in the Celtics dressing room. He is often seen sharing a handshake with his father as a pre-game ritual. He also gets along with all the players on the team. Tatum’s embrace with Deuce after winning the NBA Championship is still one of the most heartwarming moments in Celtics’ history.

So, along with the Celtics faithful, even Deuce missed watching his father suit up for Boston. So when Tatum registered his first point of the 2025-26 season, he let his emotions out, and it immediately got viral on social media. Another thing that has become a social media discourse around the Celtics changing their strategy with Tatum’s arrival.

How will Jayson Tatum’s return affect the Boston Celtics?

First of all, the Boston Celtics and head coach Joe Mazzulla are elated with the return of Jayson Tatum in record time after rupturing his Achilles in the playoffs last season. While there are some doubts around the strategic changes that the team needs to go through with the 28-year-old’s return is for Mazzulla and his staff to decide. Overall, adding a six-time All-Star to a second-seed team in the Eastern Conference is a scary prospect for the other teams, especially heading into the postseason.

Before the start of this season, the chances of Tatum’s return were miniscle and according to the bookmakers, the Celtics only had 50% chance of making it to the playoffs. This was mainly due to Tatum’s absence and also the team letting go of stars like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford. However, Mazzulla still worked his magic and made the city believe in a bunch of young and inexperienced players, and they made it work. With Jaylen Brown leading from the front and enjoying a superstar season, the likes of Neemias Queta, Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Sam Hauser, and Luke Garza all stepped up and exceeded expectations.

Whereas Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have been experiencing career highs this season. So Tatum’s return would be slightly dicey, as White, himself agreed that it would be a challenge for the roster to adjust to a different gameplay with the 28-year-old’s return to the court. Despite being a high-volume player and the Celtics’ highest shot maker for the last six seasons, Tatum would considerably make the Celtics a much better team with his playmaking and shooting efficiency.

The only problem that the Celtics could face is the clash of egos between Brown and Tatum. Before the latter’s return this season, people were calling the Celtics Jaylen Brown’s team, but now it remains to be seen if the six-time All-Star is fine with being in a more subdued role with Brown running the show, because in the past, it has been the other way round. But considering the two superstars have been together for many years now, they have this understanding to work in tandem for the betterment of the Celtics, one that could lead them to another Championship.