A little over a week removed from the Jaylen Brown trade, things are starting to look clearer for the Boston Celtics next season. One thing that should excite fans for next season is the fact that this should be Jayson Tatum's best season as a player.
If we can take away anything from Tatum's season, it's how much he loves to play. After suffering an Achilles Rupture against the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, Tatum returned to the court in under a year. Playing in only 16 games, Tatum saw some career lows in averages(field goal % and three-point %) but also averaged a career-high 10 rebounds per game and was still a great distributor, averaging 5.3 assists.
In the postseason, Tatum improved his play again but didn't get the ending he hoped for. After being up 3-1 in the series, Boston lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Duke alum sidelined in Game 7 due to an injury.
Still, Celtics fans should be excited for Tatum's play next season.
Jayson Tatum should have career year as the undisputed No. 1
Going into next season, Tatum will be the clear number one option for the Celtics with Brown now playing for the 76ers. Last season in a similar role, Brown had his best season in Boston from a statistical standpoint (though I'd argue his best was still 2024), and Tatum now gets to show what he can do as the sole number one.
Looking at Tatum's career, his highest-scoring season was the 2022-2023 season, which saw him average 30.1 points, along with 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists, shooting 46.6% from the field and 35% from three. Since then, the St. Louis native has become a stronger rebounder and facilitator. Given his growth as a player and his bigger role, Tatum should be in store for his best season, and maybe be in the MVP race if things go the Celtics' way.
As much as I loved watching Brown play in Boston, Tatum is the better player, mainly for his stronger playmaking abilities. Due to his better playmaking, Tatum will find better looks for other guys on the team. Along with his ability to create for others, the six-time All-Star is still one of the best scorers in the league.
There are still some concerns for Jayson Tatum next season
Obviously, the big concern for next season is the durability of Tatum following his Achilles injury. Before the injury, Tatum was one of the NBA's most durable players, but with this injury, Celtics fans may have some nerves when watching him.
Given a full offseason after coming back to play should be a huge boost for him, though, as he now has more time to recover. He also got to shake some rust off by playing last season. Will I still have some nerves watching Tatum play? Probably, but I'm also confident in his ability to return to his prior form as one of the NBA's best players.
Some may have been down on the Celtics following the Brown trade (myself included), but now that the instant reaction of the move has passed, Boston is still set up to be a solid team next season. Outside of swapping Brown for George (who can still give decent minutes), Boston didn't lose any other player of that much value (sorry, Nikola Vucevic).
Tatum isn't the only one who may be set for a big jump this season, as Payton Pritchard could also see a career year. After taking a jump last season, Pritchard should be considered for another one this season.
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