It’s so frustrating, and all too common, when hot-take culture overrides common sense, and our brains are too sports-radio-addled to notice.
I suppose I need to be more specific here, since the above applies to pretty much any sports conversation/debate these days. So here’s the specific: There is no universe in which Jayson Tatum’s return to the Celtics this season is a bad thing.
If he feels comfortable that he has overcome the physical and mental hurdles of recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last May, and his repaired left wheel feels trustworthy, and the doctors give him the thumbs-up … well, of course you bring him back this season, to a team that has fared stunningly well without him and still would benefit greatly from his wide array of skills.
Don’t overthink it, or underthink it. Just do it. The Celtics have gone 38-19 in his absence including Tuesday night’s road win over the Suns. They trail the Pistons by 4½ games for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and lead the third-place Knicks by two games. After losing Tatum to a devastating injury and saying goodbye to champions Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet in the offseason, most expected the Celtics to fall back to the mediocre middle in the East.
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Instead, thanks to a first-team All-NBA-caliber performance by Jaylen Brown, the all-around steadiness of Derrick White (even in a season where he’s shooting worse from 3-point range than Hugo Gonzalez), Payton Pritchard’s continued emergence as an offensive force, and a tremendous coaching job by Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics have a legitimate shot at reaching the conference finals and perhaps even reaching the NBA Finals for the third time since 2021-22.
Getting a player of Tatum’s magnitude and versatility back — even if he’s rusty, and even if he’s on a minutes limit — only enhances the possibility of a satisfying June. Tatum and the Celtics have been coy about when — or even if — he will return. It makes sense to resist setting a specific date, in case there’s a setback or he just doesn’t feel completely comfortable yet. But given the structure of the roster and some of Mazzulla’s coaching decisions lately, including moving Pritchard back to the bench, it sure looks like a when.
It’s nothing but concern-trolling to suggest Tatum shouldn’t come back at all, out of fear of upsetting some delicate ecosystem of egos. Yes, circumstances and dynamics have changed in his absence. Brown has loved being the undeniable No. 1 option (only the 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey has taken more shots). How do we know this? He has told us, over and over, including saying back in December that, “I think this has been my favorite season so far.”
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference without Jayson Tatum this season.Katie Chin/Associated Press
That’s a bold statement from someone who was named Eastern Conference and NBA Finals MVP two years ago when the Celtics collected Banner 18. But then, Brown has basically been the Celtics’ embodiment of the LeBron James “I can’t believe this is my life” meme for the entire season. Brown’s immense belief in his abilities — “I believe I’m the best two-way player in the world,” he proclaimed Sunday after tormenting Luka Doncic once again — has been validated and then some this season.
It is natural to wonder how Tatum will fit, even if he shakes the rust off quickly. Fortunately, it’s apparent that he has been asking himself similar questions. He’s been right there on the bench almost every night. He’s witnessed how well things have gone without him, and he’s had the self-awareness to acknowledge as much. He’s clearly thinking about how he can fit in and enhance what this team can do rather than disrupt it. That’s exciting to think about, because Tatum — a terrific rebounder and defender beyond his All-Star offensive skills — is an incredibly malleable player. Perhaps that desire to fit in will also lead to the elimination of some of his old habits, at least for now — I think we’d all be fine with it if he eliminated the 25-foot, step-back 3-pointer with 14 seconds on the shot clock from his repertoire.
While we must heed Kevin Garnett’s lasting declaration that anything is possible, this Celtics team as currently constituted probably doesn’t have enough to win Banner 19 this year, even with a few Patriots-like breaks along the way. But Tatum coming back, playing conscientiously, and helping the Celtics in an assortment of ways? At the least, that makes them the most intriguing team in the East, and a legitimate threat to the Pistons, whose size has given the Celtics trouble. Just think about how you’d feel if they were getting back a player of Tatum’s skill level.
No, of course you don’t hold off on bringing back Jayson Tatum if he’s ready. You trust him, and Brown, and the savvy people in charge of the Celtics to maximize all of the possibilities. Tatum and Brown know how to play together. They know how to win together. Reuniting them soon is not a problem for the Celtics. It’s a problem for everyone in their way.
Chad Finn can be reached at [email protected].
