The fact that Jayson Tatum made his return to the hardwood for the Boston Celtics not even after a year has passed since he ruptured his Achilles in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs is such a huge win not just for the Celtics, but for the entire sport. Tatum is clearly not yet all the way back, but his mere presence makes the Celtics an even more dangerous team than they've already been throughout the 2025-26 season.

Tatum's return had a lot of hype surrounding it, as it's been rumored nearly all season long that he could make his much-anticipated return earlier than many people expected. But in his absence, Jaylen Brown has stepped up to be the team's undisputed alpha, and he's done more than rise to the occasion — averaging 28.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 55 games before Tatum's return.

With Tatum being out for an extended period, they needed to get back on the same page to help spur the Celtics into bigger and better things. That's exactly what they did, with Brown and Tatum locking in together with their eyes on the same prize.

“It was great. The initial conversation, having that communication. … Being able to get back on the same page is important but it's going to take more communication as the year goes on. Things change, we got adversity, ups and downs. We just communicated that it's going to be me and you,” Brown told Vince Carter and the rest of the NBC crew.

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The two have the responsibility to lead the team as co-stars, and they have made it work in the past. But the Celtics star refuses to be complacent just because they already won a title two years ago.

“Our communication sets the tone for the rest of the team. We both got to be better moving forward if we want this to work,” Brown added.