Many thought the Celtics would collapse without Jayson Tatum. Are they a threat?

ByNBAUSA



When Jayson Tatum went down with a torn Achilles before the season even started, much of the NBA world is quietly resetting their expectations for Boston Celtics. Losing an MVP-level superstar should dent the team’s ceiling. Add in the departures of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Cornett in the offseason, and the narrative was simple: This season won’t be about fighting, it’s about surviving.

But someone forgot to say Joe Mazzulla. And someone definitely forgot to tell Jaylen Brown.

Instead of stumbling toward mediocrity or positioning themselves for a soft rebuild, the Celtics are scrapping, defending, developing and, quietly but unmistakably, winning.

They are sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference, and the table gives an honest picture. Boston ranks fifth in average point differential, which statistically puts it closer to the top tier than the middle class of the East.

Even more impressive? That number comes after injuries and inconsistency in the early season.

They have now won three straight, riding the momentum with wins over Cleveland, New York and Washington. And before that? They ended Detroit’s 13-game winning streak, a result that seemed symbolic.

The Celtics weren’t here to fold or fade. They were here to compete. Suddenly, the question is not whether Boston will fail.

Are they actually candidates.

Jaylen Brown is growing, and so is the identity of this team

Brown’s evolution has been the main story of Boston’s season. He doesn’t just carry the scoring load; he embraces the franchise cornerstone role.

He’s not handling the workload, he’s not conserving energy, and he’s certainly not treating this season as a backup while Tatum recovers. He’s out there every night, pushing the pace, guarding the best wing, attacking mismatches and elevating his brand and his shoe, with consistency and availability.

Brown has always had a knack. What he is showing now is command. He moves like a superstar, communicates like a leader and competes like someone who knows his window is open now, not later.

Peyton Pritchard made the most of her opening role also, providing scoring punch, pace and toughness, while others from Jordan Walsh to players fighting for rotational minutes compete because every possession counts.

This is not a locker room waiting for Tatum. This is a locker room building something to come back to.

A weak east and a strong culture create a real opportunity

Context matters, and the Eastern Conference landscape looks unusually open. Despite a 13-9 record, Boston is just 1.5 games out of the fourth seed. Teams that were expected to dominate, like the Cavaliers, Raptors, Knicks and Magic, proved to be beatable.

Meanwhile, the so-called bottom feeders, the Wizards, Hornets, Jazz, Nets, and others who openly lean towards developing or tanking, are not competitive enough to pressure Boston from below.

In a conference where mediocrity masquerades as parity, stability becomes a competitive advantage, and the Celtics have it.

Joe Mazzula is responsible for that. He said from day one that this was not going to be a holiday year, and the team embodied that mentality. They play connected basketball, defend with a buy-in and show enough structure to remain competitive even when the execution falters.

More importantly, they look like they care.

Pride is woven into this roster, the kind that has defined Celtics basketball for generations. It’s the same thread that connected Pierce’s rebuild, Garnett’s intensity, Smart’s toughness and Tatum’s rise.

Boston refuses to fight because the culture refuses to allow it.

Returning Tatum changes the ceiling, not the identity

Right now, the Celtics are intriguing. With Tatum, they become dangerous.

No timeline has been finalized, but whispers of a potential late-season return aren’t unrealistic. If that happens, Boston won’t be trying to reinvent chemistry; they will place a superstar on an already functioning identity.

It’s a dream scenario that every contending team pretends not to think about, but definitely does.

Defense in the top five. A differential of seven points. A leader in Jaylen Brown who has proven he can be #1. A roster full of hungry players fighting for relevance. And a superstar waiting in the wings.

For a team that many thought would fold, Boston has positioned itself not only to compete, but to climb. Are they the favorites in the East? No. Not yet.

But the candidates?

Absolutely, and anyone who dismissed them in October may have to get back on it soon because the Celtics aren’t falling.

They build.

And the rest of the East should probably take note.





2025-12-05 13:15:00

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