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EspañolDearest readers, I am many things.
A writer. A friend. A family man. But I think I define myself most by being a self-avowed hater.
I assure you, this applies to many aspects of life that generally suck. All around, it's a great time to be a hater! But my hatred is most often especially directed at the sports world. What would sports be if we couldn't be haters? If we didn't have villains? If we didn't have teams and people we were simply rooting against on the basis of good old-fashioned sports hate?
How boring! Where's the fun in that?
So, as a Boston Celtics hater (c'mon, I know I'm not alone here), it brings me no pleasure to admit this.
If Jayson Tatum really comes back before the end of the regular season, then we need to start taking this version of the Celtics much more seriously as 2026 NBA title contenders. Full stop. Everything I've seen of this version of the Celtics, to this point, only affirms that Boston can very much win its second championship in three seasons.
Sigh. Give me a second. I need a brown paper bag.
OK, I'm back. I know the Celtics fell short of the hallowed 40-before-20 mark. I know Tatum will probably need at least a month of regular-season games, if not longer, to get back into the kind of game shape where he can make a tangible difference in the postseason. The moment Tatum tore his Achilles last May, I knew the Celtics themselves likely didn't think this would be a championship-contending season. I understand that some of these guys weren't the same, but in Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Al Horford, they parted ways with not one, not two, but THREE rotation players from their 2024 title team in the offseason.
And look at them now! The Celtics have been flat-out pasting teams lately. Despite missing Tatum all season, they're second in offense and seventh in defense. They're SECOND in net rating to only the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. They've lost more than two games in a row just once, when they started the entire campaign 0-3 at the very beginning. In what is usually considered the make-or-break, meaty portion of every team's schedule — December, January, and February — they lost 11 games ... combined.
The eye test matches those numbers. Jaylen Brown has played like a borderline MVP candidate. Derrick White remains the NBA's premier glue guy and connector. Payton Pritchard has levelled up. Neemias Queta looks like a terrific late bloomer, one of the league's best up-and-coming big men. And Joe Mazzulla continues to push all the right buttons.
The fact of the matter is that both the stats and your eyes aren't lying to us here. They're saying the same thing. The Celtics, even without their talisman, remain a formidable green machine. They are legit. I actually think so highly of this Boston team that I think it can make the NBA Finals even if Tatum doesn't return this season. There's the rub. It sure sounds like Tatum is on the verge of returning, as he's been part of 5-on-5 scrimmages for a few weeks, and the Celtics are simply taking as much time as they can with the perennial All-NBA forward.
All that, less than a year after an Achilles tear. Wow, man. Just wow.
The Celtics stepping back into the limelight like this would, of course, be terrible news for everyone who roots against the Celtics' general success. Like me. But when I ground myself as a ball-knower and hoops appreciator, I can't lie. I'm intrigued by what this version of Boston can accomplish with a redemptive version of Tatum, one of the finest players in this wonderful game, coming off a serious injury. What a story.
The Celtics' ambitions of a dynasty were put on hold last May. Don't be surprised when they reignite that mission, with Tatum back in the fold, later this spring.
Shootaround
- The Nuggets are in trouble. If Nikola Jokić believes they can turn it around, he's not showing it.
- Doris Burke picked an odd time to take a jab at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but her point was sound.
- Luke Kornet REALLY doesn't want the Hawks to run a promo night for an Atlanta strip club. Uh, OK!
- Speaking of the Hawks, the Jonathan Kuminga trade is looking real good right about now.
This was Layup Lines, For the Win's basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jayson Tatum return: Celtics star's comeback would make Boston scary