A little more than a week after the Jaylen Brown trade, the picture in Boston is getting a lot easier to read. The Celtics may have changed shape, but one thing stands out above the rest: next season could be Jayson Tatum’s best yet.
That’s not just about opportunity, either. It’s about what Tatum has already shown through a season that asked plenty of him.
After suffering an Achilles Rupture against the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, he made it back to the floor in under a year. He appeared in only 16 games, and the numbers came with some career lows in field goal percentage and three-point percentage.
But there was plenty else in his line that pointed upward. Tatum averaged a career-high 10 rebounds per game and still handled the ball like a top-tier creator, posting 5.3 assists per night.
He also raised his level in the postseason, even if the finish wasn’t what he wanted. Boston went up 3-1 in the series before falling to the Philadelphia 76ers, and Tatum was sidelined for Game 7 because of an injury.
Still, the setup for next season is hard to ignore. With Brown now playing for the 76ers, Tatum is set to be the clear No. 1 option in Boston.
That kind of role matters. Last season, Brown put up his best statistical year in Boston in a similar spot, and now Tatum gets the same runway to show what he can do as the lone centerpiece.
His peak scoring season already gives a hint of the ceiling. In 2022-2023, Tatum averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46.6% from the field and 35% from three.
Since then, the St. Louis native has grown as both a rebounder and a facilitator.
Put that growth together with a larger role, and the case for a career year gets pretty strong. If everything breaks right for Boston, he could even work his way into the MVP conversation.
The biggest reason that case holds up is simple: Tatum does more than score. His playmaking gives the Celtics cleaner looks all over the floor, and that matters even more when he’s running the show. He remains one of the league’s best scorers, but the passing is what separates him from most stars.
Of course, there’s a real question hanging over all of it. The Achilles injury changes the conversation around durability, and that’s going to be the first thing Celtics fans watch when the season starts.
Before the injury, Tatum had been one of the NBA’s most reliable bodies. Now there’s at least some natural unease.
Even so, the timing helps. He’s had a full offseason after getting back on the court, and last season gave him a chance to knock off some rust. There’s still reason for nerves, but there’s also reason to believe he can get back to the level that made him one of the NBA’s best players.
And while the immediate reaction to the Brown trade was rough for some, Boston still looks capable of being a solid team next season. Beyond moving Brown for George, the Celtics didn’t lose anyone else of major value, and Pritchard could also see a career year after making a jump last season.
In Other News...
Celtics May Already Be Zeroing In On Their Next Post-Brown Piece
After the Jaylen Brown trade chatter sent plenty of teams sniffing around Boston's future, the Celtics appear to be thinking less about another headline-grabbing swing and more about the kind of player who fits cleanly next to Jayson Tatum. San Antonio has been part of that conversation, but the Spurs have already shown they are willing to take a patient approach, and Keldon Johnson has emerged as the sort of useful, in-prime piece that can matter in a roster build even if he is not the loudest name on the board.
The Spurs have made a series of solid decisions lately, which is part of why they may be inclined to hold Johnson unless an offer truly changes the equation. For Boston, the appeal is obvious: if the goal is to keep shaping the roster around Tatum rather than chase another star for the sake of it, a player like Johnson becomes the kind of name worth monitoring closely as the market settles. [Read more 🡒]
Jayson Tatum Had To Admit What The Knicks Title Meant
Jayson Tatums reaction to the Knicks title was the kind of honest, conflicted answer that makes sense for a player with Bostons competitive edge. He did not hide the fact that seeing New York celebrate stung from a basketball standpoint, but he also made clear there was a personal side to it, too, with friends on the other side of the trophy chase and a level of respect that goes beyond the standings.
For the Celtics, it is another reminder of how much the league has shifted around Tatum while he has been working through injuries over the past two seasons. Boston is also adjusting to the reality of Jaylen Brown no longer being in green after the blockbuster move to Philadelphia, and Tatums own focus now is on getting back fully healthy for the 2026-27 season, when the Celtics will be hoping he can again anchor everything that comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Make Another Quiet Move In Their High Stakes Money Game
Boston kept trimming around the edges of its books by waiving Dalano Banton, a move that clears a non-guaranteed $2.8 million salary and leaves the roster at 14 players. It is the kind of quiet transaction that barely registers on the floor but matters plenty in the front office, where every small cut can shape how much room the Celtics have to maneuver later.
The bigger significance is tied to the tax math, with Boston now positioned below the 2026-27 luxury tax threshold and in line to potentially reset repeater penalties down the road. There was a path where the Celtics might have had to consider a more meaningful salary move to preserve that flexibility, which is why this latest cleanup step fits into a much larger money game still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]