Every week, I gather some thoughts about the Celtics, the NBA, and beyond and dump them here. Because I also didn’t really do anything at the Winter Meetings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
– The more I think about it, the more I realize how badly Milwaukee needed that game last night. I don\u2019t think jobs were on the line, but any thread of being able to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo has to hinge on them figuring this season out. They had a desperation that Boston didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
– Jayson Tatum looks good. Between the videos he\u2019s been releasing and the few times we\u2019ve seen him at the end of practices, Tatum looks like he\u2019s on track to return this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Which means it\u2019s time for me to reiterate that if he\u2019s healthy and cleared, he should play. Whenever that is, whatever Boston\u2019s situation, Tatum should play when he\u2019s healthy and cleared to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As far as I\u2019m concerned, this regular season ends when Tatum returns, and the 2026-27 preseason begins. I don\u2019t care about this little run Boston is on in December, nor do I care that they are in the middle of the Eastern Conference pack. I\u2019m being realistic about this team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I just want Tatum to come back, knock off the rust, and get some reps with the new guys. I want him to figure out what he has and doesn\u2019t have after the injury. Then I want him to take all the information into the offseason and prepare for next season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, if Tatum returns in March and, a month later, it\u2019s obvious he\u2019s enough of himself that he can help the Celtics make a playoff run, so be it. I\u2019m not really considering that possibility, but if that happens, then this season is a bonus. What I don\u2019t want is for him to get caught up in playoff hysteria and overdo it. So as long as he\u2019s handled appropriately, which I believe the organization will obviously prioritize, then I\u2019m okay with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And let me just build on that last point for a second: Anyone thinking this team would do anything to put Tatum in jeopardy is insane. There aren\u2019t any other paths for the Celtics. There isn\u2019t a free agent coming. There’s no trade for a superstar. Their only chance at another championship is Tatum and Jaylen Brown working together. They won\u2019t do anything to jeopardize that. So if Tatum is playing, you better believe it\u2019s because multiple doctors and trainers said he could.<\/p>\n
– The Celtics front office was voted second-best in the league in an Athletic survey<\/a> of NBA teams. No one is catching the OKC Thunder, who have gamed the system to a point where only a meteor strike could derail their dynasty. But Brad Stevens\u2019 quick-strike championship in the face of the second apron felt like Indiana Jones escaping the boulder<\/a>, and his ability to find scrap-heap guys and what looks like draft hits at the end of the first and second rounds makes him an obvious non-Sam Presti choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n