This regular season was magical for the Celtics, and had fans thinking some wild thoughts. But deep down, we all knew the reality of the situation, and it was further proven in the playoffs: the team isn’t winning anything without Jayson Tatum.
Boston was a scrappy, rag-tag bunch this year, led by Jaylen Brown, who elevated his game and played out of his mind, Derrick White’s defense, Joe Mazzulla’s coaching, and a bunch of role players stepping up. That’s all good and fun over the course of 82 games. When the playoffs start, elite talent wins out, and to get back to where they want to be, the Celtics need the best version of Tatum.
Teams that reach the mountaintop and win the title are led by an elite player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and on and on. You can get far with good team basketball, but you need one of the top guys to get over the hump.
Luckily, the Celtics have that guy in Jayson Tatum. Despite the Finals and ECF MVP awards going to Brown, Tatum was the best player during the 2024 title run, and he had established himself as a top-5 player in the league.
With him still battling back from his Achilles injury, and then sitting out Game 7 with knee soreness, it was clear to see how vital Tatum was to the team in the context of playoff basketball.
Despite the ending, Tatum’s comeback was perfect
And while that Game 7 ending, with JT sitting on the bench, was disappointing to watch, it was unequivocally the right move. Tatum’s return from his Achilles injury went as swimmingly as possible, and he even looked close to his old self in some high-leverage moments.
He somehow became a better passer, playmaker, and rebounder, and if anything, his absence seemed to allow him to view the game from a new perspective and add to his on-floor IQ when he returned. Once the shot, athleticism, and full trust in his body return, the sky is the limit for Tatum and for the Celtics.
That was always the goal, and nothing should have changed. He proved everything he had to this season to any doubters and to himself. If he was feeling calf soreness after playing over 40 minutes in multiple playoff games, it would have been malpractice to put him out there.Â
This is the guy that this whole ship is built around. The Celtics need full-strength Tatum to be ‘the guy’ for the next five years and hopefully beyond. Getting him back up to speed was the biggest goal this year, and it was accomplished. Now hopefully, he can keep ramping up this offseason and come back next year on opening night, ready to hit the ground running, return to All-NBA form, and lead Boston on another title run. Because absent of that, it’s not happening for this group.
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