When the Boston Celtics were down 2-1 to the New York Knicks, as they headed into Game 4, it was a fun little story due to the unexpected nature of it all. Most expected the Celtics to tie the series and, frankly, end the hilarity of the situation in six games.
After Game 4, however, no one was laughing.
Jayson Tatum, the best player on the team trying to defend its title, ruptured his Achilles, not only ending his season but raising questions about how he’ll return from that injury, which is likely to be for the 2026-27 season.
The Celtics getting destroyed in Game 6 Friday night doesn’t compare to the loss of Tatum, which could have ramifications for years down the line.
Everything is up in the air now. The Celtics are expensive, and without Tatum they might be too expensive to keep intact for next season. The assumption, for a while now, has been that this iteration of the Celtics, even with a healthy Tatum, had an expiration date due to the sheer volume of its continuous luxury tax bills.
Might the organization expedite said expiration date due to its new situation? It can’t be ruled out.
This wasn’t as strong of a year for the Celtics, as many had believed it would be. Jaylen Brown struggled with his offense for chunks of the season, and while Boston set 3-point record after 3-point record, it failed to establish secondary offensive options for when the 3 wasn’t falling.
This isn’t to say their primary strategy was wrong. The 3 is here to stay, and Boston launching 48.2 per night is perfectly reasonable.
What wasn’t reasonable was the amount of opportunities they passed up throughout the season, as they essentially forgot the larger point of the outside shot: It opens up the floor, allowing for cuts, drives and interior scoring opportunities.
Only 17.9% of Boston’s shot attempts this season came from within three feet of the rim, a mark that ranked 26th in the NBA.
This was additionally frustrating as they ranked third in the league in conversion rate on those close attempts, finishing 74.8% of those attempts.
As such, despite winning 61 games, the Celtics are now on the outside looking in, wondering how it all came crashing down so suddenly.
2024-25 finish
Record: 61-21, No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Lost to the New York Knicks in six games in the second round.
Highlight of the season
The play of Payton Pritchard, who won the league’s Sixth Man award. The 6-foot-1 combo guard unlocked a new level to his game and was one of the most consistent creators on the team. The Celtics would frequently unleash his scoring prowess when they needed a boost, and Pritchard was more than happy to oblige. He played so well in fact, one could make the argument that he’ll be difficult to keep out of the starting lineup, especially if he comes back next year having further improved.
Players signed for next season
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Jrue Holiday
Kristaps Porziņģis
Derrick White
Payton Pritchard
Baylor Scheierman
Xavier Tillman
Sam Hauser
Key free agents
Al Horford (UFA)
Luke Kornet (UFA)
Projected salary
$218,396,208
Draft picks
No. 28
No. 32
Draft focus: Swing for the fences. If Tatum is out all year, and the Celtics begin to slowly remove key pieces from the roster to save money, drafting high-upside players is the right idea. These are late selections, so odds are low of finding real difference-makers, but that shouldn’t prevent the Celtics from trying to find the highest-upside guys left on the board, positions be damned.
If the Celtics run everything back, they’ll have very few ways to improve the roster, given that they’ll be over the second apron. Of course, if they begin selling off pieces and can position themselves to get a bit under the second apron, they could have their tax MLE handy. But that seems like a lot of trouble for very little return.
Needs and goals
This is a tricky one, because the goal is the same as this year, but with Tatum out, that expectation is unrealistic. If the Celtics are being honest with themselves, a year without Tatum means there’s a chance to find a young wing whom they can give a ton of developmental minutes to and hope he takes a leap the following year when Tatum returns, possibly providing them with another crack at a title run.
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