July 28, 2025: The Boston Celtics, a team known for dominating the NBA and winning an astounding 18 championships, are entering the 2025–26 season in a strange situation. The team’s carefully planned transfer of power has been thrown off course by a terrible Achilles injury that six-time All-Star and franchise cornerstone Jayson Tatum suffered during the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
The Celtics’ near future looks bad without Tatum. Since 2017-18, Boston has won 67% of their games with him on the court, which is a sign of a real title contender. Without him, that number lowers to a .568 victory %, which means the team is good but not good enough to win the championship. The usual time frame for healing an Achilles tear means that Tatum may miss the whole following season, or at best, be able to come back for a possible playoff run, albeit he may not be as good as he was before the injury.
This injury brings up an important question: Can the Celtics keep their playoff streak going? They haven’t missed the playoffs since 2013-14. Their 29-22 record without Tatum since he was drafted gives them some hope that they can “stay afloat” while their star player heals.
Tatum’s absence on offense is a big one. He has scored an average of 26.8 points and 4.6 assists per game over the last six seasons. Jaylen Brown has also been a strong offensive player, averaging 23.5 points and 3.4 assists during the same time frame, but the difference between the two was big. Brown is now the clear No. 1 choice, which is something he’s never had to deal with consistently.
Fortunately, some of the damage can be lessened by the smart actions made by Brad Stevens, the President of Basketball Operations. The Celtics recently got Anfernee Simons, who is a much-needed scoring threat, even though they traded Jrue Holiday, who averaged 11.8 points per game for the team over the last two seasons. Simons’ average of 20.6 points per game during that time shows that he can help make up for Tatum’s offensive productivity.
Jaylen Brown has already shut off naysayers who said he wasn’t worth the money after signing a $304 million supermax extension in 2023. He was chosen as an All-Star for the third time in the 2023-24 season. He then won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP trophies, putting to rest any questions regarding his “weak left hand.”
But Brown’s next season will be a whole new test. As the main offensive threat, he will have to deal with more defensive pressure. The Celtics’ success or failure in the 2025-26 season will depend on how he handles this new level of responsibility.