No Jayson Tatum for two-thirds of the season, no problem for the Boston Celtics. Not only did they weather the storm while waiting for his unlikely (at the time) return, but they thrived and remain one of the best teams in the sport. After hitting the milestone in what was supposed to be a down year, stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum reflected.
Boston Celtics continue to thrive as Jayson Tatum gets going
For most of the season, it’s been the Jaylen Brown show for the Boston Celtics. He has kept them more than afloat without Jayson Tatum. Tatum tore his Achilles tendon in May, and his March return was astonishing. It instantly made the Celtics a genuine title threat, but only because they’re in such good position thanks to what they did before he got back.
For once, though, Brown was out and Tatum ran the show. Brown missed the 49th and 50th wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets, but he posted on social media about it. “50 wins in a gap year,” he tweeted, referring to the idea that they’d struggle without Tatum.
The narrative was that the East would be wide open with Boston losing Tatum and the Indiana Pacers losing Tyrese Haliburton. It was half right. With Haliburton not suiting up this year, the Pacers have the worst record in the NBA. The Celtics, though Tatum’s now been back for 11 games, were decidedly better.
Now, they are officially in the playoffs and charging for the top seed. They trail the Detroit Pistons by four games, but the Celtics are surging and Cade Cunningham remains out. The Celtics have won seven of their last eight and remain the East’s number two seed.
Jayson Tatum shines
Jaylen Brown is managing some Achilles tendonitis, so he’s been out the last two games against two red-hot Eastern Conference foes that very well could see Boston in the first round. It didn’t matter, especially against the Hornets.
Tatum dropped 32 points, the highest output he’s had since returning. He got whatever he wanted against the defense, and he shot 12/23 from the field. It was one of his games, as he also added eight assists and zero turnovers in 31 minutes of action.
“I didn’t feel like I was sped up,” Tatum said after the game. “I was still kind of tired, so that’s something I’m still working through. But I like that I’m being decisive in my movements and exploding when I need to reacting. Obviously, it helps when you make shots. I can say I feel better than I did last game. Hopefully, I feel better in the next game than I did today.”
In doing so, Tatum reached 14,000 career points. No Boston Celtics player has ever done that at a younger age. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be on some really good teams, be surrounded by some really good players and coaches on the staff that have empowered me and helped me become the player I am today,” the forward said.
Tatum’s return sparks hot streak
The Boston Celtics were good before Jayson Tatum returned. Unsurprisingly, adding an All-NBA player to a good team makes them even scarier. Since his return, the Celtics are 9-2 in games he has played, and that includes two big wins without Jaylen Brown.
It’s been a work in progress to get Tatum back to speed. “I’ve had to work my (tail) off just to run up and down the floor,” Tatum said. So far, it’s worked, and heading into the playoffs, the Celtics look like legitimate title threats in the East when they were supposed to be non-factors.
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