Brad Stevens anchoring Boston’s frontcourt paves the way for Jayson Tatum’s return

Boston The Celtics’ most significant move at the trade deadline landed Nikola Vucevic in a deal with the Chicago Bulls for Anfernee Simmons, which should set the stage for an All-Star Jayson Tatumis coming back this season. Acquiring a proven veteran center to address the obvious weaknesses in the team’s frontcourt sends a strong message to its fans, the rest of the league and their injured All-Star forward.

While Tatum remains undecided about whether returning to his team this season is the right decision amid his recovery from a ruptured Achilles, Celtics president of basketball operations, Brad Stevensis all in on this year’s team. Stevens’ moves at the deadline welcome the return of Tatum with open arms as he enters the final stages of his recovery over the next few months.

Amidst the Celtics’ second-place finish in the Eastern Conference, the front office felt compelled to put the finishing touches on what could be a title-winning roster, and Tatum was soon waiting in the wings. While the Celtics were expected to go through a “gap year” after shedding long-term contracts that included key members of their 2024 championship team, the Celtics have outscored all but one team in the Eastern Conference so far.

The Celtics (34-18) leapfrogged the New York Knicks for second place, while the Detroit Pistons, who have been atop the Eastern Conference for most of the season, have a 4.5-game lead. No one noticed this happening after watching the Celtics trade Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday and then let Al Horford enter free agency.

Without half of the championship’s top six teams and without Tatum, All-Star Jaylen Brown, along with Derrick White and Peyton Pritchard, led the Celtics to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Boston is also one of the better defenses in the NBA this year, which has helped them secure incredible wins throughout the season.

But is it enough to convince Tatum to return?

Shorthanded Celtics stun Rockets on road

The Celtics’ 114-93 win against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday may have topped the list for the most surprising regular-season win, given that they beat the Rockets led by Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun without Brown. And with ease, while holding the team with the fifth-best offensive rating (118.3) to an incredible 95 away points.

From the top of the roster to the bottom, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzula instilled the utmost confidence in his players, which carried over to G Leaguers like Ron Harper Jr. and Amari Williams, benefiting the team’s victories. Harper Jr. hit three 3-pointers en route to 11 points in his first career NBA start in Wednesday’s win against the Rockets.

Rookie center Amari Williams, who spent most of the season playing for the Maine Celtics in the G League, earned an opportunity that eventually grew to a two-year contract, adding depth to the center position. With Williams’ signing, it solidifies Mazzula’s frontcourt, including Neemias Kveta, one of the better defensive centers in the NBA this season, and Nikola Vucevic, a two-time All-Star who is a 20+ point threat.

Williams, as the Celtics’ third center, is the ideal role for this year’s team. It’s also a testament to the rookie’s work ethic and defensive instincts that led to Macula playing him over veterans Xavier Tillman and Chris Boucher, who was traded to the Utah Jazz. Williams agreed to a two-year contract with the Celticsworth $2.7 million.

While Jayson Tatum’s body will need plenty of time to adjust to the speed of a Celtics team that has largely been playing together since training camp in October, he won’t be the only one learning. Vucevic is new to Joe Mazzula’s system, while Tatum can lead the way, as he’s more in tune with what the Celtics have been doing since Mazzula took over as head coach in 2022.

Will Jayson Tatum make his Celtics season debut?

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens isn’t rushing Jayson Tatum to do anything. Still, his moves at the deadline certainly boosted spirits for a team looking for added muscle ahead of an expected deep postseason run. Adding Tatum is ideal, but this year’s success isn’t predicated on that, which makes the process easier.

However, for Stevens, no pressure on Tatum to return relatively soon, or at all, he said, according to ESPN.

“Obviously, any team with Jayson Tatum is going to be better,” Stevens said. “If he needs it, I’ll tell him every day. Because any team – all 30 of us – would be so much better with him on the team.”

“Those are just things that go through everybody’s mind. In all our conversations, he’s confident that he can improve the team… He’s crossed a lot of thresholds, he’s doing more and more, and he’s going to continue to do more and more. There’s no pressure from us. But there’s also not going to be any of us just saying, why not?’ Will be: When he’s ready, he’s ready.

Tatum’s expected return is entirely on his terms, and as the Celtics continue to climb the Eastern Conference standings, it’s an encouraging sign amid small tweaks, such as the addition of new offensive weapons in the frontcourt. If the Celtics were going in the opposite direction, it would be understandable that Tatum wouldn’t want to return amid such pressure, but this is different.

Still, Jayson Tatum seems hesitant, according to Celtics color commentator Cedric Maxwell.

“That’s a big question mark. That’s a million dollar question,” Maxwell replied. “I don’t know where he is, and I talked to him for a minute. Talking to him, he seems hesitant, like he’s not sure right now.”

Maybe the Celtics’ trade for Nikola Vucevic will force him to get a backup. Additionally, Tatum’s All-Star teammate, Jaylen Brown, is having the best season of his career. Brown is also encouraging Tatum’s return, signaling a collective embrace of two All-Stars leading the Celtics to a potential deep postseason run no one expected.

The victory of the Celtics in the return after the debut of Nikola Vucevic

Nikola Vucevic felt for the first time what it was like to play for Boston Celtics at TD Garden in a 98-96 win against the Heat on Friday. In a game in which the Celtics erased a 22-point deficit, Vucevic felt a rush from the crowd, which reminded him of the atmosphere during the 2012 playoffs when he was a rookie.

“My rookie year, when I was in Philly, we played against Boston,” Vucevic told Boston Herald reporter Zach Cox. “We lost in Game 7 here; they still had Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, KG and all of them. (I’ve played) a lot of games here, and I’ve always liked Boston. I’ve always felt that people here are very proud to be from Boston. You could just feel it. Big sports town, obviously.”

In his Celtics debut, Vucevic finished with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals.