Celtics: Jaylen Brown, the leader in the absence of Jayson Tatum?
A year after becoming NBA champions, the landscape has changed 180 degrees for the Boston Celtics.
One year after being champions of the NBA It seems that the world is falling apart for the Boston Celtics.
What seemed like it could become a dynasty now seems far away for the team to remain in the first line of contenders in the East.
The reason? Achilles tendon rupture Jayson Tatum which would force him to miss the entire 2025-2026 season.
AM850 experts analyze the future of the Celtics.
1- Fact or fiction: Can Jaylen Brown be the leader of the Celtics in the absence of Tatum?
Reality: Although he is comfortable in the complementary role, Jaylen Brown He is an NBA figure, who has gone to the All-Star Game four times and, above all, has already fulfilled the task of leading a franchise as important as Boston, to nothing less than a championship, because he was the Most Valuable of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023-24 and repeated the honor in the League Finals against the Mavericks, when he overshadowed what was done by Jayson Tatum.
Now, as the team’s offensive reference (a role he has never had), he can return to the 2022-23 numbers, with 26.6 points per game and even increase them, in addition to serving as the reference on and off the court for the Celtics who were renewed for this new season, but are not contemplating a transition campaign because Brown knows how to look in decisive moments. — Juan Pablo Sánchez
Fiction: The Celtics are 29-22 without Tatum since drafting him in 2017. That could mean that, on paper, Brown is more than enough to lead this team in the absence of his most important partner. But this team is in full rebuilding, because it is not only Tatum who will be out next season, but also Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, who were traded in the offseason.
There is talk that Tatum could return in the final months of the season if his recovery is quick, but it is most likely that the team will even seek to compete for a high pick in the 2026 Draft and let Tatum recover well for an entire year. The best scenario for Brown is to fill up with statistics night after night in the middle of a team that will undoubtedly be even a shadow of what it has been in recent years. —Eric Gomez
2- A number for Celtics heading into the season…
0. Jayson Tatum’s number, who most certainly and despite his wishes, you won’t see for the entire next season… or who knows.
Since Tatum’s arrival in 2017-18, the Celtics have reached two Finals, winning the title in 2023-24, not counting three more trips to the Eastern Conference finals. If Boston has been in the conversation of title contenders during this decade, it is largely due to Tatum’s contribution of 27.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists between 2021 and 2025.
But in May, he suffered an Achilles tendon injury and it changed everything. Not only did he leave him out for all or almost the entire season, but he altered all of the team’s plans. This was the trigger for the transfers of Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and the non-renewal of Al Horford to save costs.
Without the 0, will it be a sabbatical year for the Celtics? I don’t believe it; Boston always looks for a way to compete, so it remains to be seen what magic act coach Ime Udoka and president of operations Brad Stevens will try in a team now led by Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, to keep the team in the fight for the playoffs. — Hiram Martinez
3- The best/worst version of the team…
The best: Of course the best would be one similar to the one from a couple of seasons ago when the Celtics won the championship.
The mission looks somewhat complicated due to the losses of important elements such as Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzinguis or Luke Kornet, to name a few, but above all due to the uncertainty about its star, Jayson Tatum, at this point in the preseason it is still not entirely clear if JT will be active in the 2025-26 season, and if so, obviously his level will not be optimal and he would have minutes restricted, which reduces the potential of coach Joe Mazzulla’s team.
In the best scenario, the Celtics could take advantage of their renewal, show variants of the three-point shot to try to win back the Eastern Conference.
The worst: The worst scenario would be to see a team that dies of the same thing, as in many parts of last season; That is, sticking to the triple and not having arguments to fight for the results when the aim is off. Likewise, the dependence on Tatum and Jaylen Brown cannot continue to be the constant because if it does so once again, it is more than proven that the team suffers. –-Rolando del Bosque
4- Should Tatum reappear in the 2025-26 season?
No. The Celtics are not the favorites to win the East this season, in fact, AM850 predicts they will finish in seventh place with a 43-39 record.
Tatum, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, is barely 27 years old and can continue to be the present and future of the franchise, without needing to rush.
The new owner of the Celtics, Bill Chisholm, has already announced that he will do everything possible to win more championships.
If you are not a title contender this year, there is no need to rush Tatum’s recovery. But he has other plans: to return this year. Will he make it? –Luis Salazar
