The Boston Celtics have proved all their doubters wrong in the 2025-26 NBA season. After many assumed the Celtics might be in for a gap year as a potentially tanking team due to Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury, the franchise has stormed to the No. 2 seed in the East this season with a 49-24 record. They have looked like genuine title contenders without Tatum for most of the season, being led by Jaylen Brown as the sole No. 1 option.
Putting aside the debates on who is better between Tatum and Brown, it’s unquestionable that having both available makes the Celtics more competitive. As a result, Tatum pushed to make his return as soon as he could, returning 298 days after tearing his Achilles on March 6 against the Dallas Mavericks. Now, Tatum has played 10 games since returning, and the Celtics have an 8-2 record with him on the court.
While there have been adjustment issues for Tatum, his return to the court has been admirable. He spoke to reporters after their win over the Atlanta Hawks and addressed the scale of his comeback and why he was motivated to return as soon as possible, as he doesn’t take the opportunity to compete for a championship for granted.
“It was a range of emotions, of things I was dealing with and contemplating and thinking about. Obviously, physically getting cleared by everybody. And a lot of it had to do with where the team was at, and never wanting to take moments in a season for granted, just thinking like, ‘Oh, we’ll be good next year.’”
“It’s like, I’ve been in the league a long time, I’ve been fortunate to be on a lot of really good teams. And you never want to take for granted the opportunity to be on the team that’s contending for a championship. I had never had basketball taken away from me, so I always — I never took the game for granted, but as you can imagine, how much I missed playing basketball. The little kid inside me, that’s all I wanted to do my entire life.”
“So, when I was cleared and got the opportunity, it was a lot of people I talked to to make the decision, knowing that I wasn’t going to be perfect when I first came on the floor, but showing my teammates that I was willing to fight through it, and give it my all. And even though I wouldn’t be as in-rhythm or in condition at first, I knew it was going to take some time, but I wanted to be out there with him, I was gonna do whatever it took.” (H/T Noa Dalzell, Celtics CLNS)
Tatum has averaged 19.8 points and 9.5 rebounds on 38.3% from the field since returning to the court. He doesn’t look like the perennial All-NBA First Team player he was before the injury just yet, but he’s making improvements with every game. With Brown currently out with an injury, Tatum will get a bigger opportunity to find his rhythm with an increased offensive load.
In the small sample size of Tatum on the Celtics, the team has a marginally lower offensive rating (118.7) than what they’ve had without him on the court (120.3). That impact is being seen on the defensive end instead, as the Celtics have a better defensive rating (111.0) with Tatum as compared to without (113.1).
Tatum put up 26 points (8-24 FG), 12 rebounds, and five assists in the Celtics 109-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, leading the team alongside Payton Pritchard (36 PTS) in Brown’s absence. He’s looking more comfortable on the court with every game, and this bodes well for the Celtics as a Playoff unit.
They are the most experienced Playoff roster in the East, and having their key pieces back in time for the Playoffs will make them genuine title favorites. Tatum knows there’s a genuine chance for him to become a two-time NBA Champion, and he won’t let that opportunity slip by.
