Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is back and looking like his All-NBA First Team self again. He deserves endless credit for the unfathomable uphill battle he's been fighting since rupturing his right Achilles tendon in 2025, and even more for how he's managed a massive usage rate of 33.1.
Even with a monster usage rate, however, the Celtics have positioned Tatum to sustain his success by limiting his responsibility in regard to the team being able to play winning basketball.
The Celtics are unavoidably better with Tatum on the court than without him. For one, he's the team's leading and most reliable scorer at 27.1 points per game. He's also averaging a team-leading 7.8 assists per contest and ranks No. 1 on Boston in field goal and free throw attempts.
As such, there's clearly a great deal of responsibility that Tatum has in helping the Celtics realize their potential as a championship hopeful.
What's made his return to form easier to manage, however, is the fact that Boston has ensured that it can still win minutes that Tatum is off the court for. Along those same lines, they've cultivated a rotation that's flush with players who can simplify the game for him while he's playing.
As a result, the Celtics have helped Tatum overcome a poor shooting start to the season to still play winning basketball without necessarily needing to do everything just to have a chance to win.
Jayson Tatum is thriving in a high-volume role, but Celtics aren't lost without him
Boston is outscoring opponents by 12.7 points per 100 possessions when Tatum is on the court. Though that's better than they've been without him, the Celtics are still outscoring teams by 11.7 points per 100 possessions when he isn't.
That puts significantly less pressure on Tatum to be the source of winning basketball and has thus positioned him to play a style that operates with long-term growth in mind.
A primary source of that success is Boston's bench ranking No. 1 in the NBA in net rating—by 3.4 points per 100 possessions, no less. The group has achieved its success by also ranking No. 1 in the Association in offensive rating. In other words: Even when Tatum isn't playing, the Celtics can score with elite volume.
Payton Pritchard, for instance, is averaging 31.7 points per 100 possessions on 48.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc when Tatum isn't on the court with him.
Celtics' bench ranks No. 1 in the NBA in net rating
Clearly, Tatum being the team's go-to scorer and playmaker is a mountain of responsibility for any player to take on. This article is thus anything but an attempt to discredit what he's been able to do in the role he's been given.
Instead, it's meant to illustrate how the Celtics have positioned Tatum to build towards regaining his peak form without necessarily overburdening him with the simple task of winning.
The Celtics are inevitably better when their best player plays, and that trend will likely persist. Furthermore, there's a good chance that Tatum will rank among the top players in the NBA in usage rate throughout the 2026-27 season.
With a bench that can produce winning minutes and teammates who go all-out on defense, however, Tatum is both thriving in a high-volume role and excelling with limited responsibility.
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