Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has adjusted to the personnel at his disposal during the 2025-26 NBA season, positioning this roster to compete in the postseason after expectations were closer to a turbo rebuild with Jayson Tatum sidelined.
Stevens was only planning on a rebuild because Tatum wasn't guaranteed to return from an Achilles Tendon tear suffered last May during the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.
Then, Jaylen Brown led the team to a top-three record by the trade deadline, and the front office acquired Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls, using a pick swap and Anfernee Simons, to make a push to the postseason. Then, on Monday afternoon, the franchise revealed on X that the playoff push is an "all-in" one.
"Jayson Tatum will be assigned to participate in portions of the Maine Celtics practice at the Auerbach Center this afternoon. Following this practice, Tatum will be immediately recalled to the Boston Celtics, where he will continue his rehab process," the update read.
That couldn't be better news for Celtics fans. Seeing what Brown and Tatum are capable of together, with a strong supporting cast that will be gelling as No. 0 is reintegrating into the lineup, makes this a successful season no matter what happens.
Of course, if there are no complications with Tatum's return.
Brad Stevens Will be Under the Gun if Jayson Tatum Gets Re-Injured
If anything happens to Tatum, it will be on Stevens' aggressive posturing to get the team to contend for new ownership. This is despite seemingly planning to do the opposite last summer when he traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, and let Al Horford and Luke Kornet walk in free agency.
Of course, any long-term damage to Tatum will upset an ownership group that inherited his $313,933,410 contract. With the conversation this season revolving around Brown's ability to lead the team himself, rushing Tatum back and it going awry could be something that upsets No. 7 long-term.
Even if Tatum clears this next step in his rehab with no issues, actually inserting him into an NBA game during the stretch run after such an extended absence comes with inherent risks.
Could Tatum being in uniform and available to play potentially help Boston in an early-round playoff series? Absolutely. Is it worth even trying when you already have the All-NBA talent locked up through the 2029-30 campaign? Perhaps, if you're willing to bet your job on it working out.
This isn't an easy situation for Stevens, and he ultimately did what appeared to be the best move possible for his team. But his job will become nearly impossible, and possibly expendable, if the team's stars ultimately sour on the current setup.
Stevens can't allow a franchise that appeared set to contend for as long as the "Jays" were in the lineup fall apart. At this point, though, it's out of his hands. He's already made the choices that will make or break his tenure as the Celtics' PBO.