The Celtics’ playoff showing left a lot to be desired, as they blew a 3-1 lead and bowed out in embarrassing fashion to the rival 76ers. And although there were some incredibly high moments and the numbers were fine overall, it wasn’t exactly the resounding exclamation point on the comeback for Jayson Tatum that he had hoped for.
Despite that, Tatum answered a lot of questions with what he showed just over nine months after tearing his Achilles. We all saw him get back in the groove with his three-point shot, we saw him rebound at the highest level of his career, his playmaking was outstanding, and his defense was a plus, like always.
Tatum was the best driver in the 2026 playoffs
But perhaps the most impressive thing of all was how efficiently he was able to score the ball when attacking the basket. In fact, of all players who drove the ball at least 50 times in the 2026 playoffs, Tatum had the highest field goal percentage of anyone, at 63.3%.
If there was any uncertainty about Tatum’s health, it was going to be around his burst and athleticism. There was little doubt that he’d still be able to get his shots off and impact the game in other ways, but being able to drive the ball this effectively against playoff defense is extremely promising.
Given the brutal nature of the injury, you’d figure that his ability to drive against his defender and score the ball would be one of the last things to come back for Tatum, but he was able to prove the opposite in his first playoff action. That bodes incredibly well for him going forward and should make fans optimistic that he can get back to 100% and be better than ever this season.
Payton Pritchard was also top-5 in FG% on drives in the playoffs
Another encouraging sign is that another Celtic who will have an elevated role this season, Payton Pritchard, was actually fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage on drives in the playoffs at 55.9%. Pritchard was tragically underutilized, but with the offseason changes, that shouldn’t happen again.
Now, Boston’s two players who will likely be tasked with lead ball-handling and creation duties most often are extremely efficient scorers at all three levels and high-level playmakers. These numbers don’t exactly take the sting away from the ugly playoff collapse, but they’re definitely a reason to get excited about the future and a great way to justify the drastic changes this summer.
Despite what a lot of fans and media members around the NBA think, there are plenty of reasons to believe that the Celtics are going to get a lot better this season.
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