The Boston Celtics have not been the same without Jayson Tatum. Ever since his college career at Duke University, it was clear that Tatum was bound for stardom. After only one year at Duke, he declared for the 2017 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. On June 22, 2017, Tatum was selected by the Celtics as the third overall pick. From there, he has blossomed into a superstar. The fact that he has only played for the Celtics endears him to many hometown fans. Savan Boxer (I) agrees that “[Tatum] seems like a nice guy.”
After leading the team to a national championship in 2024, Tatum was on a hot streak. He often got MVP shoutouts as one of the league’s biggest superstars. Even at his peak, some were not fully convinced. Reginald Hesselbein (I) opines, “He’s a good player, [but] not my favorite player; he’s not like Anthony Edwards. He doesn’t have that winning mentality.”
Tatum’s performance dropped soon after that peak in the fourth game of the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals, where Tatum went down with an Achilles injury. This was a devastating blow for the Celtics, and the team went on to lose the series and were ultimately eliminated from the playoffs.
Tatum remained out for almost a year, until March 2026, when he finally made his much anticipated return to the court. Tatum has, thankfully, quickly eased back into life in the NBA, recently notching 32 points in a game against the Charlotte Hornets on March 29. Pilar Gali (II) nevertheless still has mixed feelings about Tatum’s return, commenting, “The team really learned to play well without him. It’s great to have his presence back, but they’re not playing the same as they were before.”
Overall, however, basketball fans and Celtics fans alike are excited for the athlete’s return. Fans will be able to continue watching Tatum recover his form as the Celtics prepare for another playoff run as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. He has already pledged his long-term allegiance to the Celtics with a five year, 315 million dollar contract extension in 2024, even though there is still the possibility of the team trading him to another organization in the future. Many, however, are hesitant to see this as a monumental event, as they wait for the possibility of him reaching the pinnacle of NBA global stardom that players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić and Lebron James have already achieved.