Jayson Tatum is stepping into a different kind of spotlight in Boston this season, and it’s the one Celtics fans have been waiting for.
After spending most of last year sidelined while recovering from an Achilles tear, Tatum is set to chase the version of himself the league saw before the injury. When he came back in March, he looked better than many expected.
The burst was there. The handle still looked clean.
He was moving smoothly off the dribble and holding his own on defense.
Now the Celtics are his team in a way they haven’t been before. With Jaylen Brown on the Sixers and Paul George moving into his spot, Tatum is the clear No. 1 option in Boston. That alone changes the shape of everything.
The Brown-Tatum debate never really stopped while they were together, and it only picked up steam when Tatum missed most of the season and Brown carried Boston to the second seed in the East. But the numbers without Brown tell a pretty loud story of their own.
In 102 career games without Brown, Tatum has put up 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game. When his usage rate climbs to 35 percent or higher, those numbers jump to 34 points, nine rebounds and four assists, with a 61 percent true-shooting percentage in those games.
That matters because this year, Tatum won’t be sharing the spotlight with a true sidekick in Brown. The supporting cast around him is expected to be more of a committee, with Payton Pritchard, Paul George and Derrick White all helping fill the gap.
None of that is meant to suggest Brown was holding Tatum back. Boston had two high-level players, and the Celtics did what good teams are supposed to do: keep both involved and make it work. It worked well enough to win a championship.
But this season gives Tatum a chance to be the center of the offense in a way he hasn’t been before. He’s just one year removed from that devastating injury, but he also had a healthy offseason and time to get himself back to full strength.
Before the injury, Tatum had made first team All-NBA four straight years and established himself as one of the best players in the sport. With this kind of role, he has a real shot at an MVP run and a chance to remind the league exactly what Celtics fans already knew.
In Other News...
Brad Stevens May Have Just Pulled His Most Belichick Move Yet
Brad Stevens has never been shy about making a move that forces a second look, and this one fits that pattern. The Celtics president of basketball operations has built a reputation for taking calculated swings since moving from the sideline to the front office, and the latest decision only adds to the sense that he is willing to trust his own read even when it runs against the public reaction.
The comparison to Bill Belichick is hard to miss for Boston fans who remember how often the Patriots coach leaned into unpopular choices before the results caught up. Stevens has already shown a similar appetite for risk with past deals involving Marcus Smart and Al Horford, and now the question is whether this latest bet will age like one of those bold calls or become the kind of move that lingers over the franchise. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Deadline Decision May Have Changed LeBrons Entire Free Agency
The ripple effect of Bostons roster decisions has a way of showing up far beyond the parquet, and this latest one reached all the way into LeBron James free agency. Golden State spent part of that chase trying to position itself as a serious landing spot, but the bigger swing came from Philadelphia, which changed the conversation by bringing in Jaylen Brown and altering the balance of power around James decision.
For the Celtics, the interesting part is how close Brown came to being part of a different kind of domino chain. Golden State had a chance to get him earlier in the season, but the price in future draft capital was too steep for the Warriors, and that choice now looks more consequential in hindsight. Brown remains a centerpiece in Boston, on a massive long-term deal, while the rest of the league is left to wonder how differently this all might have played out if one deadline conversation had gone another way. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Stevens May Have Finally Ended Boston's Tax Nightmare
The Celtics have finally given themselves some breathing room on the books, and it is a welcome change after a stretch when every roster move seemed to come with a tax bill attached. With 14 players in place and payroll sitting at about $198.72 million, Boston is currently below the NBA luxury tax line and has enough flexibility to keep operating without immediately triggering the kind of penalties that have hovered over the franchise in recent seasons.
Brad Stevens and the front office can still add help if the right move comes along, whether that is through a trade or a free-agent signing, as long as the money going out and coming in stays close enough to keep the team under the line. The Celtics also have room to consider bringing in second-round rookie Dillon Mitchell on a standard deal and still remain in the clear, which gives them a little more room to maneuver than they had a year ago. [Read more 🡒]