The Boston Celtics haven’t devolved into a state of doom and gloom. In fact, they’re remarkably upbeat despite the fact they know franchise cornerstone Jayson Tatum has a long road to recovery after rupturing his Achilles in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Nonetheless, there’s a certain level of fatalism being espoused by segments of the fan base. Heck, even Celtics legend Bob Cousy has seemingly jumped on that train.
3 Numbers That Prove Celtics Have A Shot Without Jayson Tatum
All in all, Boston undoubtedly faces a tough challenge heading into 2025-26. However, there’s a solid reason to believe in the Celtics’ ability to succeed without Tatum. In fact, there are at least three.
Celtics Record Without Jayson Tatum (29-22)
There are several teams that basically cannot function without the face of their franchise.
The Philadelphia 76ers are just 104-163 (.390 win percentage) without Joel Embiid since his rookie season versus 295-157 (.653 win percentage) with him. The Denver Nuggets, who are just 20-34 (.370 win percentage) without Nikola Jokic since 2016-17 but 421-244 (.633 win percentage) with him, are another example. Since drafting Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors are 659-367 (.642 win percentage) when he’s available. They’re just 91-152 (.374 win percentage) when he isn’t.
Then there’s Tatum. The Celtics are perhaps surprisingly 29-22 without the six-time All-Star since he was drafted in 2017. That win percentage (.569) isn’t as high as it’s been with him, of course. To that point, Boston is 392-193 when Tatum plays; a .670 win percentage. Nonetheless, they haven’t been dead in the water.
Jaylen Brown’s Record Without Jayson Tatum (22-17)
There isn’t just one reason why the Celtics are able to be successful without Tatum.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla, who recently signed an extension, is a darn good motivator and emphasizes excellence at both ends of the court. Former head coach Brad Stevens has arguably been even better at building the roster than leading from the bench. Furthermore, though Tatum is the team’s top offensive player, he’s not quite their fulcrum. In fact, the gap between him and Jaylen Brown has truly shrunk.
Over the past five seasons, Tatum has averaged 27.5 points and 4.9 assists per game, shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3. In that time, Brown has averaged 24.0 points and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from 3. Numbers aside, the Marietta native made notable strides with his jumper, his ability to create space and his playmaking. Add to that his assertiveness on the boards and ultra-reliable point-of-attack defense and his come-up makes all the sense in the world.
In fact, Brown is a respectable 22-17 without his tag team partner. If Boston had that win percentage (.564) last season, they would’ve been sixth in the East. That won’t get the hype of a 60-plus win season but it’s good enough for the playoffs.
Celtics Record When Jaylen Brown Scores 25+ Points (123-58)
The loss of Tatum will more than likely have a negative impact on the Celtics offense. The addition of Anfernee Simons should help offset his absence, as he’s averaged 20.7 points per game over the past 3 seasons. Nevertheless, stepping into Tatum’s shoes will require Brown to be more assertive at that end than he’s been in recent seasons.
With that being said, Boston has a 123-58 record (.680 win percentage) when Brown scores at least 25 points. Though Tatum was available in plenty of those contests, this number underscores the importance of his ability to put the ball in the basket. To that point, there are myriad players whose career points don’t positively correlate with their career wins. However, that clearly isn’t the issue for their incumbent No. 1 option.
If Brown can carry the offense while still locking up defensively, the Celtics could be in a favorable position by the time the playoffs tip-off.
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