Jayson Tatum is one of the most talented players in the NBA. Even with Tatum caught in the middle of apparent drama with former teammate, Jaylen Brown, Tatum has found a way to rise above the noise.
In 2025, Tatum suffered what could have been a career-ending injury. He ruptured his right Achilles tendon during a playoff-game against the New York Knicks. Many wondered if he’d ever be the same player he was pre-injury. And many wondered if the Boston Celtics would stay afloat without the services of Brown, who now dresses for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jayson Tatum Sets Celtics Franchise History vs. Hornets
Well, what Tatum continues to do, on a nightly basis, is prove the doubters wrong. Tatum has returned to full form. And the Celtics are still thriving thanks to historic performances by Tatum, just like his effort from Friday night.
On Friday night, Tatum and the Celtics took on the Charlotte Hornets, on the road, seeking their seventh win on the season. Not only did they get their 119-80 victory, as part of Group Play of the NBA Cup, Tatum made franchise history in the process.
As per StatMuse on X, Tatum became the first player in Celtics franchise history to post the following stat-line in under 30 minutes played:
34 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, and a plus-minus of plus-36
In the long-list of Hall-of-Famers including Bill Russell, Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Bob Cousy, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett, to name a few, not one of these all-time greats ever accomplished this feat.
Tatum Has Returned To MVP Form
The six-time, NBA All-Star is now 543 days removed from that devastating Achilles injury. While the Celtics roster doesn’t look the same as the day he hobbled off the court that day, Tatum is still the undoubted leader and best player on the Celtics.
With the Celtics parting ways with Brown, they gave the keys, solely, to Tatum and are asking him to drive them all the way to the finish-line. The Celtics hope Tatum, now 28, will lead them back to the NBA Finals to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy yet again.
Behind performances like Friday night, the Celtics are poised to contend once again. Tatum’s play this season has also returned to MVP form. Tatum is averaging 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game. He’s suited up in eight of the Celtics nine games so far this season, and their only two losses have come to playoff teams from last season (Houston Rockets & Detroit Pistons).
The only downside to the Celtics blueprint on the season is they’re putting seemingly all of their eggs in the (Jayson) Tatum-basket. Their two losses came in the only games he failed to score at least 20 points. While new addition, Paul George has put up decent overall statistics, they’ve come in inconsistent fashion.
Paul George’s Inconsistent Play Continues
George is averaging 19.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. However, Friday night he posted just eight points on 3-for-11 shooting from the field. Outside of George’s opening-game outburst of 38 points (in a loss to the Pistons), he’s only scored 20 points or more two times this season.
The upside for George and the Celtics is he appears to be fully healthy so far this season. Having missed 86 total games over the past two regular seasons, George has also suited up in eight of the Celtics nine games this year.
Time will tell how far the Celtics will go this season. But it appears they will go as far as Tatum is able to take them. And if he continues to make franchise history every night, they’ll be in a pretty good place.
Jayson Tatum Makes Franchise History During Celtics Blowout Win Over Hornets