The fact that Jayson Tatum returned to the hardwood for the Boston Celtics even a year after rupturing his Achilles in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs is such a huge win not only for the Celtics, but for the entire game. Tatum obviously isn't fully back yet, but his mere presence makes the Celtics a more dangerous team than ever during the 2025-26 season.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Tatum's return, as it had been rumored for almost the entire season that he might make his highly anticipated return sooner than many expected. But in his absence, Jaylen Brown has stepped up to become the team's undisputed alpha, and he has more than risen to the occasion – averaging 28.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 55 games before Tatum's return.
With Tatum out for so long, he needed to get back on the same page to help propel the Celtics to bigger and better things. That's exactly what they did with Brown and Tatum close together He has his eyes on the same prize.
"It was great. The initial conversation, having that communication. ... It's important to be able to get back on the same page, but it's going to take more communication as the year goes on. Things change, we got adversity, ups and downs. We just let it be me and you," Brown told Vince Carter and the rest of the NBC crew.
Both of them have the responsibility of leading the team as co-stars and they have done it in the past. But the Celtics star refused to be satisfied just because they won a title just two years ago.
"Our communication sets the tone for the rest of the team. We both have to step up if we want this to work," Brown said.
“We just said it would be me and you.”
Jaylen Brown talked about a meeting he had with Jayson Tatum and the rest of the Celtics team before Tatum returned to action. pic.twitter.com/tJvVgwoP9V
- NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) 22 March 2026
