Surely, many of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference rivals are sick and tired of the success that Boston has experienced for most of the past ten years. Since drafting Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Cs have made the playoffs nine straight seasons, made the Conference Finals six times, made the Finals twice, and, of course, won the title in 2024.
So, as much as nobody was celebrating Tatum’s demoralizing torn achilles, there must have been more than a few people who weren’t upset at the idea that Boston was going to have a down year, especially given the departures of Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet.
It certainly felt like the Celtics were on the verge of a gap year and a possible franchise reset. With the injury uncertainty for Tatum, it was no sure thing if this once dynastic-looking core would ever even look the same.
Fast forward to the present, and you can just imagine their frustration and annoyance at the idea that, not only did Boston not experience a “gap year”, they are looking as dangerous and ever with Brown taking a leap and Tatum surging back from injury, and they’re once again favorites to win the East.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown win b2b Player of the Week awards
Just how back are the Celtics? As if it wasn’t enough that Tatum, after just three weeks back from his injury, took home Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors last week, that was followed up by his partner in crime, Brown, taking home the honor the following week.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Boston Celtics forward-guard Jaylen Brown have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 24 of the 2025-26 season (March 30 – April 5). pic.twitter.com/7vB4jsDjMw
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 6, 2026
On Monday, the NBA announced JB as the winner for the week of March 30th to April 5th, as he put up 31 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game in a 3-1 week for Boston. This comes on the heels of JT leading a 3-0 week with 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game.
Both of the Jays are absolutely humming, playing in concert beautifully, and the Celtics are looking as deadly as they have in a long time on both ends of the court. Tatum is still not 100%, and there’s still plenty of room to grow, even this season.
With just one week remaining in the regular season, it truly feels like everything is falling into place for the Celtics, and what looked like a gap year may end up being one of the most magical and memorable seasons in franchise history.