For the majority of his NBA career, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have worked in tandem to make the Boston Celtics a perennial contender. However, that won’t be the case in 2026. Despite not having his usual running mate by his side, Brown appears ready to lead the charge solo.
During their conference semifinal matchup against the New York Knicks, things took a drastic turn for the Celtics when Tatum went down with an injury. This not only impacted their chances of repeating as champions but created a gap year for the franchise in terms of contending.
With Tatum set to be sidelined for the majority of the 2026 season, many expect the Celtics to slip in the standings. Brown does not feel that way, as he feels he is capable of keeping the team competitive in his running mate’s absence. While appearing on a livestream with Kyrie Irving recently, Brown stated he has more of his game to showcase that he couldn’t in the past due to Boston’s strong collection of talent.
“People haven’t seen me at my best because we have a loaded roster, so sometimes you need to do what needs to be done as a team,” Brown told Irving.
Brown’s production dipped slightly last season, but he still impacted the game in a variety of ways on a nightly basis. Across 63 appearances, he averaged 22.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 4.5 APG.
Looking ahead to next season, the Celtics are going to need the best version of Brown. Not only will Tatum be sidelined, but Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are gone as well. This leaves Brown with a golden opportunity to showcase what he can do as a lead guy every night.
Due to the roster makeover this offseason, Brown will be the Celtics’ feature player for most of the 2026 campaign. The stage is set for him to have a career year, and based on his recent comments, he looks ready to make the most of it.
