For the Boston Celtics, their season came crashing down one game before their game six exit to the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. It was when their star Jayson Tatum went down with a torn Achilles, ruling him out of game four, the remainder of the series, and the 25/26 campaign too. Well, that’s what we thought at least.
Tatum has been recovering really well. Rumors have been swirling about a potential return in the Spring of the coming season. However, that’s something Justin Termine has warned Tatum and the Celtics against.
The NBA insider feels that with the team Boston will field in 25/26, risking Tatum makes no sense whatsoever. It’s better to rest him completely, let him heal to 100% and then come back in 26/27 all guns blazing, hopefully with a better squad.
“If it was last year’s team, then it would be probably worth trying to get Tatum back next season, right? But with their current roster, even if Tatum does come back… if Tatum came back and looked like the same player as he always has, you know, what’s the point?” Termine said on Sirius XM Radio.
Termine added that even Tatum’s best version won’t be competing for the championship with just Jaylen Brown and Derrick White being the only stars in the starting five. “That team’s not winning anything,” he continued. “You’re not competing for a title even if Tatum comes back at a 100%. So you might as well let the guy heal all of next season.”
“If they still had last year’s team, then it probably would be worth trying to get Tatum back next season”@TermineRadio shares his thoughts with @JumpShot8 on reports that Jayson Tatum could return next season after tearing his Achilles in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/uYI1y0Lx8b
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 6, 2025
For Celtics fans, this will be tough to digest. Will 25/26 be a season in which they tank? Perhaps they’ll have no choice but to do just that. Brown and White, with all due respect, don’t look like they have what it takes to carry a championship-caliber team on their own. And what good is scraping into the postseason just to get knocked out early?
Tatum could return to a healthier and fresher Celtics lineup in 2026, possibly with a few good draft picks. Then, he could reset and unleash his best self on the court once again, dreaming of winning a second championship with Boston.
