The Boston Celtics have established that they're a contender this season. They're yielding the fewest points per game, generating the second-most points per 100 possessions, and boast the NBA's second-highest net rating. Thanks to a championship culture, individual evolutions, and a coaching staff that deserves to share in this season's Coach of the Year honor, they did that without Jayson Tatum.
However, he was there every step of the way. The six-time All-Star was present at practice, active in film sessions, and joined the team on road trips. It was an example of leadership that will help both sides as he gets re-acclimated.
"I think it speaks volumes to just how much he just loves the game of basketball," said Sam Hauser at Friday's shootaround, hours before Tatum got upgraded to available to make his season debut vs. the Dallas Mavericks. "Him being willing to come on every single trip, be in a lot of film sessions, be at practice every day, putting his work in speaks volumes to everybody else on the team. Knowing that he's still there. He wants to be a part of this."
As Hauser also noted, time is a luxury Boston doesn't have. The Celtics must work quickly to find the necessary balance between adjusting to having Tatum back in the lineup and the star forward adapting to the schematic changes and individual growth unfolding this season.
It's a group that has given people every reason to feel confident about them achieving the harmony necessary to end this year in a way they always believed was possible.
It's a part of why, as some on the outside ponder if Tatum's return will negatively disrupt them, it has only fueled their confidence in finishing the current campaign atop the NBA summit.
Jayson Tatum's return could turn the Celtics' dreams into a reality
When the 28-year-old forward steps onto the TD Garden parquet in uniform on Friday, Boston will welcome back a four-time All-NBA First Team selection.
It isn't fair to expect him to immediately reclaim his status as one of the league's top-five players. However, he elevates the Celtics at both ends of the floor. He has also been their best and most productive player on the defensive glass. Tatum can be far from his standard and prove the most impactful addition any franchise has made this season.
Thursday, at the East Boston YMCA, the Celtics, Sun Life, and YMCA of Greater Boston hosted a "Fit to Win" nutrition event. It's where a candid Derrick White shared what the star forward's return does for the confidence of a team that had already proven it's a title contender without Tatum.
I also asked Derrick White about the impact from a confidence level of the Celtics establishing themselves as a contender without Jayson Tatum and now being on the verge of adding him to the lineup.
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) March 6, 2026
“That was our goal to begin the year anyways, and so, obviously, adding a guy… https://t.co/1p7FkQqIiV pic.twitter.com/rcgT0lyXvg
"That was our goal to begin the year anyways," voiced White. Obviously, adding a guy like JT definitely helps us a lot. And it's not gonna be easy, it's gonna be a challenge, but we play for the Boston Celtics, so that's always the goal and always the standard. And so we came in with that mindset, and it's gonna be a lot of work to get to that point, and we got a lot of room to improve, and that's the exciting part, but we got to figure it out quickly."
While time isn't on their side, familiarity is. And while only four teams since the 1979-80 campaign have failed to win 40 games before losing 20 and lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy that season, Boston barely missed accomplishing that feat. They now have a Jayson Tatum-sized caveat that has only bolstered their belief in finishing this season with an ending fit for Hollywood.