The Boston Celtics have gone from one of the NBA’s most intimidating opponents to a team that no longer inspires the same level of fear. Around the league, scouts, coaches, and front office executives are shaking their heads at how quickly the franchise has slipped from contender status. According to Heavy’s Steve Bulpett, the Celtics’ decline is being viewed as a combination of circumstance and self-inflicted damage, rooted in both Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles and a willingness to lean into the second apron.
“The word on the Celtics around the NBA is generally more of a shaken head than an utterance,” Bulpett wrote. “They were not going to be a contender anyway without Tatum, but when you trade Porzingis and Jrue and let Horford and Kornet walk, that guts your rotation.”
Many around the league believe Boston’s new reality was made inevitable by its offseason decisions. While injuries played a major role, rival coaches and executives say the Celtics eroded their own foundation by sacrificing too much depth and talent. The organization could have paid significant luxury tax penalties to keep the group intact and hold out hope for a late-season Tatum return, but instead chose a more conservative, long-view approach.
“There’s a different feeling when you see Boston on your schedule,” one executive told Heavy. “I am not saying you should expect anything to be easy, far from it. But it is just not the same as when you saw those guys from the last two years waiting for you.”
The good news is the Celtics still have their championship duo, and they are set to play together again sometime in 2026. In the meantime, the Celtics are doing everything they can to put up a respectable fight in the East.
Without his co-star, Jaylen Brown is putting the team on his back with averages of 27.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on 50.3 percent shooting. Still, despite his best efforts, the Celtics are ninth in the standings at 8-7.
The truth is, no matter what more Jaylen Brown does this season, it will not be enough to replicate what the Celtics had just a few seasons ago. In fact, even when Tatum returns, Boston will not be the same group that won the championship in 2024They
Without Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, or Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics are a completely different team, and they will have to build around Tatum and Brown all over again. Until they do, opponents will no longer fear them the way they used to.
Fortunately, they have plenty of assets to work with in a trade, whether it is a draft pick or a young prospect like Anfernee Simons. All that is left now is to get Tatum healthy again so the Celtics can return to their status as an Eastern Conference juggernaut.
Boston’s road back to contention will depend on how quickly the front office can rebuild the roster around Tatum and Brown. The foundation is still strong, but the margin for error has vanished, and the rest of the East has no hesitation in taking advantage. If the Celtics want to reclaim their place among the league’s elite, this next stretch will determine whether they rise again or settle into the middle of the pack.
