When Jayson Tatum went down with a torn Achilles tendon during the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Knicks last May, it seemed like a blow that would not only ensure the Boston Celtics’ playoff demise but also steal any chance they had of contending this year, too. Brad Stevens’ offseason moves seemed to confirm that.
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The Celtics moved on from much of their championship core. However, fast forward to today, and the Celtics are one of the best and most improbable stories in basketball. They currently sit second in the East with a 41-21 record. And with Tatum’s recovery being ahead of schedule, it looks like they’ll be welcoming him back for the final stretch of the season.
Jaylen Brown, long thought to be the Robin to Tatum’s Batman, has emerged as a legit MVP candidate. However, the real story of the Celtics is that they have been an amazingly cohesive unit.
Joe Mazzulla has gotten production all up and down the roster, from Brown, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White, to unsung heroes Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, and Hugo Gonzalez. Tatum, meanwhile, has been doing 5-on-5 work for weeks.
With reports that he could make his season debut as soon as Friday against the Mavericks, Carmelo Anthony gave some words of advice to the six-time All-Star. “JT’s gotta be very mature about this situation,” Melo said on 7PM in Brooklyn.
“There’s no egos, there’s no pride, like we got a chance to come back and win a championship, so let me just put my pride and my ego to the side for these next three months and continue to let JB steer the ship, ’cause he’s proving that he’s doing it. He’s doing it at an MVP level on both sides of the court,” added Melo, pointing out that for much of their partnership, Brown has deferred and let Tatum be the de facto leader.
Brown has still shown what he can do, of course. And he even won Finals MVP a couple of years ago. But in general, this has been a 1a and 1b situation, all in the name of winning games.
Now that Brown has shown that he can be the real centerpiece of a winning team, a role reversal needs to happen, at least for the rest of this season, as Tatum works his way back. So it’s time for Tatum to defer and do whatever it takes to win, even if that means that he won’t necessarily be the star of the show.
Brown really has been phenomenal this season. He’s averaging 28.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Those are similar numbers to what Tatum averaged last year when he finished fourth in the MVP race.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how quickly the Celtics can integrate Tatum back into the lineup. Adding a player of his caliber should make them a much better team on paper. But chemistry is a funny thing. Some of those unsung heroes are going to get fewer minutes now that Tatum is back.
How will they respond? Will Tatum be able to play a more complementary role than he’s used to?
These are valid questions, and with 20 games until the playoffs, the Celtics don’t have a lot of time to answer them. Mazzulla has positioned himself as a Coach of the Year contender due to how he’s managed this roster. But his biggest test is ahead.
The Celtics have championship DNA, but can they all get on the same page in time to make another run?
