When Jayson Tatum went down with a ruptured Achilles in the second round of last year’s playoffs, the entire future of the Boston Celtics organization changed. For many, the 2025-26 campaign immediately turned into a gap year, especially considering all of the roster-altering moves they had to make in order to duck the second apron (losing Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet).
But while Tatum has been sidelined, the Celtics have given him the greatest gift he could have possibly asked for: They’ve been competitive. No, they’ve been great. Instead of struggling to compete with Tatum out of the lineup, Boston has thrived.