The Boston Celtics now have a 19% chance to represent the East in the 2026 NBA Finals, per Polymarket. That number has sharply risen from 6.1% at the start of December, coincidentally amid the positive Jayson Tatum injury news.
Furthermore, the Celtics now have the third-shortest odds, per DraftKings and all other sportsbooks, to win the East, behind only the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons.
Betting insiders expect the C’s to leapfrog both the Knicks and Pistons when Tatum returns from his injury, considering that they have been the hottest team in the NBA since Dec. 1. Boston owns the NBA’s best record (13-5), offensive rating (124.9) and net rating (10.8) since Dec. 1, which includes wins against the Pistons and Knicks.
Jayson Tatum Injury Update
While there were rumblings that Tatum would defy the odds and return from his Achilles injury this season, most were pessimistic that it would actually happen. However, there’s now more than a realistic chance, per insider Chris Mannix.
“…All indications out there, and everything I’ve heard, is that he’s going to push really hard in February-March to get back out there on the floor, and be there with the team for most of the second half of this season,” Mannix said on his “NBA on NBC” podcast over the weekend, giving Celtics fans giving a lot to celebrate about.
Mannix provided the significant Jayson Tatum injury update while discussing Boston’s rumored plans ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, when the Brad Stevens-led front office is expected to pursue a center to shore up their front court.
“If Jayson Tatum can return, the Celtics have to look at their team and say, ‘We’re probably one big man away from competing for the crown in the Eastern Conference.’”
Celtics Won’t Force Decision
The Celtics have repeatedly stressed that the decision to return to the court would be completely up to Tatum, and the franchise won’t be opposed to him sitting out the entire season as a precautionary measure.
“It’s all up to him,” Mazzulla said of Tatum on Dec. 11. “At the end of the day, his health is the most important thing, his process is the most important thing.
“You trust him, trust the team that’s around him … and then you just kind of go from there. So it kind of just all starts (with) where him and his team think he’s at.”
Brad Stevens has also refused to put a timeline on Tatum’s return.
“We’re not putting a timeline on it, as we haven’t the whole time,” Stevens said on Dec. 17, via Boston.com. “I think that one of the things that everybody can see is that we didn’t apply for a [disabled player exception] this year, which was a conscious decision for a lot of reasons.”
“But, the reality is that he’s not going to be back until he’s 110 percent healthy and he feels good about it,” Stevens added. “That’s a big part of it. Obviously he’s itching to play. Obviously he hates watching. But, he’s also — I don’t want to speak for him — very cognizant of the need to meet every threshold and why those things are put in place.”
In Tatum’s absence, the Celtics (24-14) have shocked the world by rising to a top-3 seed in the East after starting the season with an 8-8 record. Amid their turnaround, Jaylen Brown has established himself as a top-three MVP candidate.
Celtics Odds Skyrocket Amid New Jayson Tatum Injury Update