The Boston Celtics have already sealed a spot in the 2026 postseason with a 47-24 record, currently holding the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They were led to this record primarily by Jaylen Brown, who has shone as the team's No. 1 option while Jayson Tatum recovered from a torn Achilles he suffered in the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Given the Celtics' strong performance this season and realistic chance at winning the East, Tatum accelerated his return to rejoin his team and take a secondary role behind Brown to help the franchise contend. However, his return hasn't been perfect.
He addressed his shooting slump after their 102-92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, openly saying he doesn't know if he can call this normal with his injury return because he's never experienced something like this before.
“I wouldn’t say normal slump because this is the first time I’ve went through something like this. It’s been a long time. It was a long time before I could shoot a basketball or walk, so I just try to knock the rust off game by game. I find great spurts and moments from game-to-game, so just trying to put it all together.”
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Tatum averaged 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 8 games on 38.8 FG% (17.4 FGA) and 29.3 3P% (9.4 3PA) since returning, as the Celtics have a 6-2 record in games he has played.
Tatum looks a little uncomfortable on the court, readjusting to an offense where he's a role-player while testing the limits of his newly-healed achilles. It doesn't look like Tatum can lead this team with on-court production right now, but the team needs him to get comfortable enough to give them game-changing performances, especially in the playoffs.
The Celtics have to keep winning to keep their hold on the No. 2 seed, as the New York Knicks are just half-a-game behind at the moment. Still, it's better Tatum has 11 more regular season games to find his rhythm than do it when the Celtics are already in the playoffs.
