Boston Celtics
“Successful one other championship and holding up Finals MVP.”
Celtics star ahead Jayson Tatum has already reached the proverbial mountaintop within the NBA after serving to Boston win an 18th championship in June 2024.
However, the 28-year-old Tatum is setting a brand new aim with Boston going into the 2026-27 marketing campaign.
“Successful one other championship and holding up Finals MVP,” Tatum stated on “Glass Half Full” with NBC’s Craig Melvin.
Whereas that championship expectation doesn’t come as a lot of a shock for Tatum and a Celtics staff solidly in a contending window, Tatum didn’t safe any particular person {hardware} throughout that run to a title two summers in the past.
Jaylen Brown took dwelling 2024 NBA Finals MVP honors, with Tatum averaging 22.2 factors, 7.8 rebounds, and seven.2 assists per recreation throughout that five-game collection towards the Mavericks.
Whereas Tatum struggled together with his taking pictures in that collection (38.8 p.c), particularly from 3-point vary (26.3 p.c), his versatility, defensive abilities, and playmaking allowed Boston to overwhelm Dallas en path to a title and an general 16-3 document that postseason.
Tatum is in search of a clear slate subsequent season after spending many of the 2025-26 season on the mend resulting from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
The star ahead was effectively forward of schedule from such a traumatic damage, returning to play in March and looking out like an influence participant as soon as once more after returning to the parquet.
However, regardless of averaging 21.8 factors, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per recreation after coming back from damage, Tatum was hindered by left knee soreness within the playoffs, which kept him off the court for Game 7 towards the Sixers en path to a disappointing first-round exit.
Even with that setback, Tatum is wanting ahead to an everyday offseason the place he can prepare usually, with out an arduous rehab course of.
Tatum expressed gratitude final week on the Auerbach Middle for a way he was ready to answer what was once a career-altering damage.
“The most important factor for me is I’m pleased with the truth that I used to be capable of show to myself that I may play this recreation at a really, very excessive stage,” Tatum stated. “Even not being one hundred pc of myself or what I’m able to. So now, checking that field off mentally that, as a result of that was a query in my head and there have been doubts of, ‘Will I be capable to be the identical participant? Will I be capable to play at a excessive stage after this damage?’ Now I’ve confirmed it and confirmed that, even at 80-85 p.c of myself.”
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