When the Boston Celtics won the 2024 NBA championship, it felt like we were witnessing the start of a dynasty. Unfortunately, fate had other plans, as Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tendon tear during the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks.
According to Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes, Tatum’s injury has all but ended the Celtics’ chances of winning another championship in the near future. In fact, Hughes believes that while Tatum is still the Celtics’ first option, they will fall short in their search for banner 19.
“Tatum feels like a mainstay because of his stature in Boston and because of the contract that’ll keep him maxed out through 2030, but everything else is going to change for the worse by default,” Hughes wrote. “Boston had loads of deep playoff runs with Tatum at the forefront, and it won a title in 2024. Another one won’t arrive until long after Tatum is either gone or reduced to second-option status.”
Writing Tatum off before he’s even recovered from his injury is incredibly presumptuous. His game has never been predicated on athleticism or anchored by fast-twitch reactions. He’s a cerebral type of talent, who reads the floor and reacts with the right read almost every time.
Due to that, Tatum should have no problem reasserting himself as a top-10 player in the NBA when healthy.
Jaylen Brown Backed to Lead Celtics
While Tatum recovers from his Achilles tear, Jaylen Brown will step into a starring role for the Celtics. During a recent appearance on the “Hold My Banner” podcast, former Celtics forward Malik Fitts shared his belief that Brown will do a solid job of being Boston’s primary scorer and playmaker.
“He’s Finals MVP,” Fitts said. “I don’t know how you can doubt that. That year that he won Finals MVP, you saw the level at which he was playing. He was playing at a really, really high level. Even the year that I was there, we lost to the Warriors. He was playing at a really high level even then.”
Fitts continued.
“And I never really understood the hatred or any of the bad mouthing that they (some fans) had towards Jaylen. But I am curious to see how he will lead the team while Jayson is out. Personally, I think he’ll handle it well. I think he’s going to lead the team pretty well.”
Brown is an elite interior scorer and perimeter defender. If Joe Mazzulla can adjust his overall system to accentuate Brown’s skill set, he could be heading for a career year.
Celtics Need Front Court Depth
This summer, the Celtics’ front court has lost considerable depth. Tatum is out injured. Kristaps Porzingis was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. Luke Kornet signed with the San Antonio Spurs in free agency. And, Al Horford is expected to land with the Golden State Warriors.
As such, Mazzulla’s front-court rotation consists of Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman and Chris Boucher. You can throw Sam Hauser into the mix if you want to see him playing at the four.
Unfortunately, that lack of depth and high-end talent will likely hurt the Celtics next season. So much so that the trio of Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard could struggle to keep them afloat.
Fortunately, Boston’s retooling phase is expected to be short-lived. So, contrary to Hughes’ opinion, it shouldn’t be long until we see Tatum leading the franchise back to the NBA Finals, if not to another championship.
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