Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum made appearances on both NBC’s Today and ESPN’s First Take Tuesday morning. Tatum’s pair of media spots made for his first public comments since tearing his Achilles in May, and also Boston’s significant roster turnover this summer.
Though the Celtics aren’t currently contenders, especially with Tatum sidelined, the star forward still had great things to say about the group that will take the parquet next month.
"I love the guys that we have on our team,” he exclaimed on First Take. “I love the core group that we still have that won a championship together with some new guys. We still have the best coach in the NBA."
He’s right. There are plenty of key members returning for the 2025-26 season. Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser all played key roles in Boston’s climb to the 2024 NBA championship. Plus, others like Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, and Xavier Tillman Sr. were all part of that roster, too.
Those familiar faces, however, are all in an unfamiliar situation. There’s been little-to-no sample size for that group without Tatum on the court. The 27-year-old has been so durable throughout his pro career that it’s tough to get a gauge on how his teammates will fare in his absence.
Could each player thrive in the added opportunity? Sure, but we’re going to have to wait and see.
Joe Mazzulla can prove a lot this season
Much of their success will be affected by how well head coach Joe Mazzulla handles the changes to his roster. Mazzulla has led the Celtics to three tremendous seasons since taking over as interim coach ahead of the 2022-23 season. He’s also had three tremendous rosters to coach.
The 2025-26 season will be the first time the Rhode Island native is given anything less than a championship-level roster. So far, he’s done a great job of maximizing the strengths of his players. Can he carry that over into this season?
Mazzulla’s also put an emphasis on winning the margins. One way he’s done that is by using math to his advantage. Everyone knows about the high-volume of threes that the Celtics have taken under Mazzulla. Fans love to blame his system when things go wrong, but they’ve gone right a lot. Is that a trend that’s going to continue?
Realistically, if the Celtics are a middle of the pack team, as they project to be, then shot differential could do a lot for them.
With training camp less than a week away, we’re finally going to start getting answers to some of the questions that have been looming all summer. We’ll also see how much love this new roster should get, and if Mazzulla really is the best coach in the NBA.