The Boston Celtics have been already among the finest groups within the NBA’s Japanese Convention this season. Now they’re even higher. They could even be bordering on scary.
The remainder of the convention, and the NBA as a complete, was formally placed on discover on Friday night time when Jayson Tatum made his 2025-26 debut, and performed like he by no means missed any time in a 120-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Jayson Tatum shines in season debut
Lower than a 12 months after struggling a ruptured Achilles tendon throughout Sport 4 of the 2025 Japanese Convention semifinals, Tatum made his return to the ground on Friday following a surprisingly quick restoration. It offers this model of the Celtics what is actually an enormous trade-deadline addition a month after the actual fact, and with out having to surrender something off its roster.
That’s the kind of addition we’re speaking about right here.
He performed 27 minutes within the win, posting a double-double with 15 factors and 12 rebounds. He additionally added seven assists and was simply three assists shy of a triple-double. Had he performed a extra regular workload when it comes to minutes, he in all probability would have reached it (slightly simply) given the best way he performed.
He completed the sport 6-of-16 from the sector, together with 3-of-8 from three-point vary.
It is just one recreation, however this can be a game-changer for the Celtics and probably the whole convention.
Boston has already proved that it has depth, sturdy teaching and the expertise to be a contender with out Tatum this season. Now it’s including among the finest gamers within the league and the core piece of a group that is only one 12 months faraway from really successful an NBA championship, again into the combination.
The query was at all times going to be how near 100% he really is and if he may step proper again into the lineup and take management. It is just one recreation and there’s nonetheless an extended solution to go for the rest of the common season, however the Celtics must be feeling actually good about what they noticed in that one recreation.
