Reinforcements may not be coming to the Boston Celtics after all.
Jayson Tatum is undecided about whether he will return this season from the Achilles tear he suffered in May.
The high-scoring forward told ESPN late Wednesday that he “wants to get it right the first time, so it’s just a lot to think about.”
That comment followed an NBA TV report that Tatum was re-evaluating his situation, describing the likelihood of a return to play this season as “up in the air.”
The development comes with the Celtics entrenched in a seeding struggle with the Knicks in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
It had been widely expected Tatum, a six-time All-Star, would rejoin the Celtics in time for a playoff push.
Tatum, 27, went through a full workout in front of reporters last week in Detroit.
But days later, Tatum offered insight into his process, acknowledging on “The Pivot Podcast” that the surprising Celtics have formed an identity without him.
“There is a thought in my head, ‘How does that work?’ Or, ‘How does that look with me integrating myself off an injury and 50, 60 games into a season?’” Tatum said on an episode released Tuesday.
“Obviously, [there] could be some challenges. It is a thought like, ‘Damn, do I come back? Or should I wait?’ It’s something that I honestly, recently, in the last two weeks or so, just kind of contemplate every single day.”
Tatum suffered the non-contact injury against the Knicks during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden on May 12 and underwent surgery the next day.
The Knicks went on to win that playoff series in six games.
In the wake of Tatum’s injury and due to salary cap constraints, the Celtics traded away point guard Jrue Holiday and center Kristaps Porzingis during the offseason, while center Al Horford left in free agency.
But behind a core of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, Boston has exceeded expectations this season. At 29-18, the Celtics are tied with the Knicks for the second-best record in the East.
