The Boston Celtics are about a month away from kicking off their 2025 NBA season, which will take place without Jayson Tatum in the lineup. Tatum was injured in the Celtics' shocking second round playoff loss vs the New York Knicks in May, and his Achilles recovery process could very well take up the entirety of the upcoming season.
Tatum has long been one of the more polarizing players in the NBA, with some fans declaring him a bona fide superstar and others pointing to his numerous playoff collapses, including the first two games of the series vs the Knicks, as reason to be skeptical.
Recently, Tatum took to ESPN's First Take to speak on how he handles the doubt.
“I'm certain I'm not the only person that feels like they don't get enough credit, I think that's just the nature of being one of the best players in the NBA… I know there's a lot of fans out there that appreciate what I do,” said Tatum.
Tatum is arguably the most complete player in the NBA today, able to shoot, handle the ball, pass, defend, and rebound all at a solid, and in some cases, elite, level. However, his history of seeing dips in his shooting percentages in the postseason, as well as his tendency to try to channel his idol Kobe Bryant by playing hero ball late in games, has in some ways caused a hit to his reputation as a player.
Tough times for the Celtics
In the wake of Tatum's injury, the Celtics held a firesale this summer, trading both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, moves they were likely going to have to make regardless in order to get under the second apron.
Boston now looks ahead to a year in which they could still make the playoffs due to the weak Eastern Conference, but are unlikely to be competing for anything meaningful. Instead, this year will likely be more about positioning themselves to hit the ground running once Tatum returns in 2026-27.
Boston will kick off its 2025 season at home against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 22.
