The long-term drawing looms for the Boston Celtics is blurred due to Jason Tatum’s injury.
The Boston Celtics are still shaking after superstar player Jason Tatum suffered an injury to Achilles, torn in the second round of NBA playoff collapse with the New York Knicks.
Tatum is currently planning to undertake long recovery and rehabilitation, which are likely to only return in the 2026-27 season.
He is about to enter the crushing healing process that Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant had previously taken with brutal injuries, and the Celtics must be patient with his recovery.
With Tatum on the sidelines for a foreseeable future, it is difficult to imagine how the Celtics could maintain the relevance of the competition in the upcoming 2025-26 season.
By acquiring the most expensive roster in NBA history, Boston’s leadership really asks if this is worth investing as it has significantly reduced championship opportunities in the wake of Tatum’s inactivity.
We had already speculated that the current Boston core would break up. There, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps proposed trading four major stars besides Tatum.
Regardless of what may play out this offseason, veteran star Tory Craig has asserted that the Celtics still have a fair chance to compete and win despite Tatum’s absence.
“This is a great group. Obviously, the situation is important, but I feel that even without JT, this team can still compete for the championship,” Craig said via the Celtics blog.
“They are talented. They need to find ways to play basketball a little differently. But this group is more capable.
“I have the greatest confidence.”
The Celtics’ chances to run the title will depend on how Jaylen Brown takes over and will be the driving force behind the team.
Knowing they’ll be awfully fast-handed at Tatum Out, Brown had already provided a bold statement about whether he’ll take Boston’s lead next season.
But at the end of the day, you’ll need to wait and see the Celtics roster construction before predicting and evaluating the ceilings from 2025-26 when the offseason is over.
The trio of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis have already been mentioned in trade rumors that could become busy free agents, so they should be monitored.