Atlantic Notes: Kemba, Knicks, Thybulle, Tatum

Kemba Walker will return to action on Tuesday night for the Celtics as they host the Nets, head coach Brad Stevens confirmed today (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN). Walker, who has missed Boston’s five games since the All-Star break due to a nagging knee injury, will play approximately 20-25 minutes, according to Stevens.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

• New Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose made a good first impression in his initial meeting with players on Monday, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Rose also met with Mike Miller and his coaching staff, and while the new head of basketball ops could end up replacing many of those coaches in the spring, Miller wasn’t fazed by the situation. “I don’t need any assurances from anyone as we go through this,” he said. “I trust the process, I trust what we’re doing. I’m perfectly fine working the way we’re doing day to day.”
• Sixers rookie Matisse Thybulle has expressed interest in representing Australia in the 2020 Olympics, per The Australian Associated Press (link via ESPN). Thybulle, who said his Australian passport is up to date, will make a decision after the season. If he does suit up for the Boomers, he could be playing alongside 76ers teammate Ben Simmons for head coach Brett Brown.
• Within an article on Jayson Tatum‘s ascension to stardom, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer revisits the Celtics‘ decision to move down from No. 1 to No. 3 in the 2017 draft. According to O’Connor, before zeroing in on Tatum, Boston was exploring acquiring extra assets in a trade down from No. 1 in the hopes of flipping them for Paul George, who was ultimately sent to Oklahoma City instead.