Jayson Tatum doesn't know when he'll return from his Achilles injury. But the Celtics superstar says his first game back will be in front of Boston fans at TD Garden. 

Tatum is just under five months removed from undergoing surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles, which he suffered in Boston's Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He had his surgery the very next day, which allowed Tatum to get a jump on the rehab process.

The four-time All-NBA First Teamer has been working out six days a week as he looks to get back as fast as possible. Tatum and the Celtics aren't putting a time frame on his return to the court, but Tatum isn't ruling out playing in the 2025-26 NBA season. 

"I think the most important thing is making a full recovery and being 100 percent," Tatum said in an interview on CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday. "If that's this season, there's obviously conversations to be had. For me, I love to play. I've never been a guy that wants to sit out and I try to play in every game possible."

Tatum was on a full media tour Tuesday morning, and hinted at a mid-season return even harder during his appearance on ESPN's First Take.

"I haven't said I'm not playing this season," Tatum told ESPN. "The most important thing is a full recovery, not rushing it at all. But also, I don't go to rehab six days a week for nothing."

While it typically takes a year or more for players to recover from Achilles surgery, Tatum's immediate surgery may have helped his cause for a faster return, not to mention Tatum's incredible work ethic. Indiana Pacers star Tyreese Haliburton tore his Achilles in the NBA Finals and has already been ruled out for the upcoming season, but the Celtics haven't done that with Tatum.

While Tatum doesn't have a target date -- and likely won't for a while -- he already knows where his return will take place.

Jayson Tatum will make his return at TD Garden

Support for Tatum began pouring in immediately after he went down at Madison Square Garden, which has continued throughout his rehab process. Tatum is grateful for all the words of encouragement he's received from Celtics fans throughout his journey.

"I've heard all the get well wishes for a speedy recovery, I've seen all the messages of people praying for me on social media and things like that. It means the world to me. It means a lot and has helped me get through some dark days and some tough rehab days," said Tatum. "I want them to know, I've been in the gym six days a week and am working my butt off to get back to 100 percent and hopefully even better. 

"I can't put an exact date, but I 100 percent know my first game back will be in TD Garden in front of the best fans in the world," Tatum added.

While it's hard to pinpoint when Tatum might be able to return, late-March to early-April seem possible, giving him roughly 10 months since his surgery. Tatum wouldn't be at full speed and would likely have a lot of rust to knock off, but he could potentially join the team late in the season for a playoff push.

Expectations are somewhat low in Boston with Tatum sidelined and after Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were traded away in the summer for cap purposes. But Tatum believes the core of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard, plus newcomer Anfernee Simons, can lead the charge for Boston and have the Celtics in a good position by season's end.

"I do have the utmost faith in our team," Tatum told CBS HQ. "Obviously, this is a business and there's going to be turnover from year-to-year. You're not always going to have the same team. We still have a core group that we won the championship with, but we have a lot of new faces. I'm really excited about the team that we have. There's an opportunity for guys to have larger roles."