It is official.
For the first time in 298 days, Jayson Tatum will be suiting up for the Boston Celtics. After tearing his Achilles tendon in last year’s postseason, Tatum has made an all-out commitment to his recovery process and will be on the court just under 10 months since the injury first occurred. The Celtics will face off with the Dallas Mavericks tonight.
In his absence, the Boston Celtics have exceeded all realistic expectations and played themselves into a legitimate postseason threat. They currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 41-21 record.
Jaylen Brown deserves immense credit for elevating his game in Tatum’s absence, proving to be the 1A offensive option the Celtics have needed. Brown is posting averages of 28.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists on the year. He holds the fifth-best odds of winning NBA MVP at +3000 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
While there has been plenty of conversations about where Tatum fits in this current Celtics team, this is the same player who has been a six-time All-Star and posted averages of 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists last season. Tatum will be playing on a minutes limit to start, and the focus will be on getting him up to speed so he can be close to the best version of himself by the playoffs.
Looking at the futures’ odds, the Celtics have climbed to the Eastern Conference favorite at +240 on DraftKings Sportsbook, and hold the fourth-best odds of winning the championship at +900.
Looking at the odds for tonight, the Celtics enter as 14.5-point favorites over the Mavericks, with the game total set at 224.5.
You can also check out the Jayson Tatum category on DraftKings Sportsbook, offering specials for the remainder of the season. Tatum’s player prop is set at 12.5 points for tonight, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 made three-pointers.
Stay tuned to DK Network for live updates surrounding Tatum’s outlook and other notable players moving forward.
