When fans showed up for a joint Patriots-Commanders training camp session in Foxboro, they expected to see Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels slinging passes. Instead, the loudest buzz came from the sidelines, when Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was spotted casually walking on the field. No crutches or a limp, and shockingly, no boot either.

The moment this news hit social media, fans started the never-ending speculations. Was Tatum closer to returning than anyone thought? Is he testing the waters for a spring comeback? While there is still no timeline about JT’s return this season, Tatum’s own teammate, Derrick White, dropped a strange locker room tidbit.

Tatum has long been asking the two-time All-Defensive guard to earn some technical foul calls. Unlike Derrick, who has just one foul throughout his 8-year NBA career, Tatum has earned 66 technical fouls in his NBA career. And even if it comes with some punitive fines, the 27-year-old wants his teammate to be more aggressive when arguing calls. Even during the Celtics-Suns game on April 4 earlier this year, when White was wrongfully whistled for a tech foul, Tatum was celebrating the call, only for the foul to be removed after a review. So, when the Celtics guard sat for a podcast recently, he made sure to mention Tatum’s obsession with his technical foul.

“There are guys on the team that have been giving me hell about not having a technical foul. Jayson Tatum told me he doesn’t respect me until I get a technical,” he said on the White Noise podcast. “We’ll see. Not against him, but I’m not going to go out of my way to get one. I’m going to get ejected.” But this isn’t some new kind of sports superstition. Tatum’s “strange demand” to White, a player known for his squeaky-clean court behavior, shows the fire he brings to every aspect of his team.

JT wants his teammates to carry some grit. Tatum is only three months removed from a devastating Achilles tear that ended his 2024-25 playoff run and is expected to keep him out for all of 2025-26. Yet there he was, not only walking without assistance but apparently giving motivational grief to teammates like everything’s normal. It’s a subtle flex, but fans and scouts alike are reading into every move.

Earlier reports confirmed what the eyes saw. Tatum is ahead of schedule and out of his boot. He’s moving around at basketball camps. A scout who saw him in Vegas said, “He was moving really well… I’ve seen guys coming back from Achilles’ tears, and he looked way ahead.”

Tatum’s Patriots cameo sends Twitter into overdrive

After @Kay_Breezy22 posted a video on X of Tatum walking the Patriots’ sideline with the caption, “Jayson Tatum is here at the #Patriots practice,” the fanbase exploded. The Athletic NBA followed up with, “Jayson Tatum is in attendance for Patriots practice 🍀,” sending the green team’s corner into full-on frenzy. It wasn’t just about rehab anymore. Instead, it seemingly became a symbol of defiance for the Celtics fanbase.

The possibility remains, no matter how slim, that maybe, just maybe, Tatum could suit up this season. One fan replied to Kayla’s post, “Gotta Love the Guy! Only wish he could run & jump on that foot of his.”

NBA insider Justin Termine has been vocal about Boston not rushing Tatum back. “Even if Tatum came back and looked like the same player as he always has, what’s the point?” he said on SiriusXM. With Jaylen Brown and Derrick White as the only true stars on the current roster, the Celtics aren’t built to contend next season. So the concern is understandable, coming from the fans as another chimed in with a meme-ready line, “NO BOOT GOOFIN.”

Some fans feel a bit more cautious. The 2025–26 campaign is shaping up to be a bridge year. A season to regroup, develop, and maybe slide into the lottery for another shot at reloading. One of them wrote, “Yay! JT @jaytatumo without a boot and walking very well is a great sight to see!” But others weren’t sold on this bold move. The reaction from Celtic Nation is split, as some want him wrapped in bubble wrap until 2026. Others are already drawing up fake playoff scenarios.

There’s no denying that Tatum’s already ahead of schedule. He’s moving, training, instructing, and apparently stirring things up in the locker room, too. Whether he returns this season or not, Tatum’s presence continues to shape the energy around this team. Even while rehabbing one of the toughest injuries in sports. Celtics fans are just hoping that all of this swagger translates to a full-blown comeback… but only when the time is right.