The Celtics‘ dream of winning back-to-back titles turned into a nightmare when Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles tendon during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in May. Boston pushed its series against New York to six games, but it didn’t have enough firepower to challenge the Knicks.

With Tatum likely to miss most (if not all) of the 2025-26 campaign, NBA fans and media members alike expected the Celtics to experience a “gap year.” Sure, head coach Joe Mazzulla would maximize the remaining talent on the roster, but Tatum’s absence eliminated the Celtics from the tier of serious contenders… right?

MORE: The complete history of Celtics championships

Well, Jaylen Brown must have missed that memo. The five-time All-Star isn’t just the leader of a surprisingly sturdy Celtics squad — he is a legitimate candidate for the NBA MVP award.

Through 49 games this season, Brown is averaging career-highs in points (29.3), rebounds (6.9) and assists (4.7) per game. Despite logging the highest usage percentage of his career (36.9), he is shooting better from the field (48.3 percent) and 3-point range (34.8 percent) than last season.

As one of the league’s top drivers to the basket, Brown has seen a jump in free throw attempts (7.0 per game), and he is converting on those opportunities at the highest rate of his career (77.5 percent). When he doesn’t reach the rim, Brown is frustrating defenders with one of the NBA’s most effective pull-up jumpers.

And Brown isn’t resting on defense. The advanced numbers show that he often accepts the most difficult assignment on that end of the floor and makes a huge impact on other stars.

Simply put, Brown is the biggest reason why the Celtics have a top-10 offense and defense. Boston is the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 35-19 record despite the loss of Tatum and offseason departures of Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.

“He doesn’t have his partner in crime, and he’s still proving that he can lead the team,” three-time MVP Nikola Jokic said of Brown. “He’s playing at a high level, scoring the ball. He’s such a good defensive player, too, playing on both sides of the floor. … He can play both sides of the court and still score and still be dominant.”

Beyond Brown’s individual case, the MVP race feels more open than usual because of injuries to other candidates.

Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could miss more games because of an abdominal injury, and the Thunder have drifted back toward the rest of the field after a hot start. If Jokic misses more than one game down the stretch, he will not be eligible to win the award based on the league’s 65-game threshold. Victor Wembanyama is close to that mark, too.

Even if Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and others reach the minimum number, Brown will likely still appear on some MVP ballots. He deserves consideration for carrying the Celtics through a difficult stretch and delivering some of the best performances of his career.