As the dust settles on the nuclear fallout from the Jaylen Brown trade that rocked all of Celtics Nation to their core, the question on what happens next is loaded but interesting to think about. We turn our eyes to Jayson Tatum who is now the no doubt number one option for this team. Looking at the roster currently constructed with the additions of Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley, the idea of Tatum being able to lead Boston to a great season doesn’t seem so farfetched.
Tatum #1 Option History
When I think of Jayson Tatum as the number one option on the Celtics, it takes me back to when we saw him in a situation like this before. The 2020-2021 season was an odd, mediocre year for the Celtics where they finished with a record of 36-36 and the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the reason we saw Boston even in the playoffs was because of the play of a 22-year-old Jayson Tatum.
Jaylen Brown suffered a torn ligament in his left wrist in a game on April 27th, 2021 and was ruled out for the season on May 10th, 2021. He would miss the last 7 games of the regular season and the playoffs and it looked like the Celtics’ season was all but over.
However, at the same time, Jayson Tatum was in the midst of playing some of the best basketball of his entire career. From April 28th until the end of the season, Tatum averaged 31.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 49% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from three. This includes his career high for points in a game when he dropped 60 points on the San Antonio Spurs on April 30th, 2021.
In the 6 games Tatum played in without Brown in the regular season, he averaged 25.5 points 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 45% shooting from the field and 32% shooting from three with a 2-4 record. Then the inaugural Play-In Tournament began where the Celtics faced off against the Washington Wizards and Tatum would proceed to drop 50 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal on 14-32 shooting and 5-12 from three.
This gave Boston a date with the Brooklyn Nets in the first round with the three-headed monster of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. In what felt like an inevitable five-game series loss, the Celtics went down fighting behind Jayson Tatum who averaged 30.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 42% shooting from the field and 39% shooting from three. This includes a Game 3 victory where he put up 50 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals on 16-30 shooting from the field and 5-11 shooting from three.
The reason I recapped the 2021 season was to highlight that at 22-years-old, Jayson Tatum was able to exceed expectations with a roster not suited for his strengths. If he was able to do that back then, what makes you think he can’t do it at 28-years-old with a skillset that has developed ten fold from 2021, talented teammates that suit his game around him, and a front office who is determined to build around him. It gives some semblance of hope in a post-Brown era of the Celtics.
George and Tatum
Despite the contract, George was still a fine player in 37 games in 2026, averaging 17.3 points on 44% shooting from the field and 39% shooting three. A 25-game suspension and injuries took up a lot of his season but in the playoffs against Boston, he played really well, averaging 17.4 points on 49% shooting from the field and 55% shooting from three.
In no way am I implying that a small sample size is going to automatically make up JB’s production, but it feels like the elite three-point shooting that George provides for this Celtics team is going to fit well. Jayson Tatum is elite when it comes to getting his teammates involved in the offense and the idea of him in the pick-and-roll kicking out to George in the corner feels like a formula we will see from Boston a lot this season.
On the defensive side of the ball George was solid, with a defensive rating of 113.6 in the regular season and he played some pretty good defense against the Celtics as well, matching up with Brown and Tatum as the primary defender. Alongside Tatum, it gives Boston another great wing defender that can create havoc along with Derrick White and the big man rotation of Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta.
In theory, there is a lot that could go right and it could be fun to watch but there is also the reality that George is 36-years-old and isn’t in his prime anymore. If the circumstances were different, George on this Celtics team would be a cool piece to have, but it won’t be seen that way this season. He will be compared to Jaylen Brown, fair or not, for this season and his entire time in Boston. However, if he can stay healthy, I see a world where his play meshes really well in Joe Mazzulla’s system and the wins make up for a little bit of the loss Brown.
2026-27 Season Predictions
If Brad Stevens and the Celtics don’t make anymore moves this summer and the roster is set going into the 2026-27 season, what should we expect from Jayson Tatum this year? In my mind, I can see Tatum having another great, all-around season like he has for the better part of his career. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up averaging close to 30 points per game this season and lead Boston to another top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference. The biggest concern is of course health.
Paul George and Mitchell Robinson have a pretty documented history of injury over the years, but with Tatum its different. He is going to be playing his first full season off of his torn Achilles and were going to see if there any long-term affects. He already had to miss Game 7 of the Celtics’ first round playoff series with an injury, who’s to say we don’t see more nagging injuries pop up over the course of the season. Boston doesn’t have a Jaylen Brown to fall back on anymore — its going to be all on Tatum.
There’s no real positive way to spin this Jaylen Brown to the 76ers. You traded a homegrown superstar who played 10 years with the organization, won a championship and Finals MVP, and came off the best season of his career for a very underwhelming package. However, there is a beacon of light at the end of the tunnel for the Celtics. Unlike Milwaukee when they traded Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston has another superstar on their team. If Jayson Tatum is still on the Celtics, they have a chance to win and its something to cling on to as we navigate through these treacherous waters ahead in franchise history.
