For the first time in the 2020s, the immediate future is looking bleak for the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals caused a domino effect that resulted in a new look Celtics team for the 2025-2026 season. General Manager Brad Stevens traded championship pieces Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis while Luke Kornet and most likely Al Horford will not be on the team in October.  

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum from the Boston Celtics give each other a high five. Tatum’s Achilles injury created a new look for the Celtic’s for the 2025-2026 season. Photo by @celtics on Instagram

This leaves one man to take the helm in the city of champions, Jaylen Brown. The longest tenured Celtic has the team all to himself with Tatum all but confirmed to be out for the entirety of next season.  

Brown averaged 22.2 points on 46.3% shooting in 63 games last season. The 2024 Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP battled a knee injury throughout the 2025 playoffs, but he still averaged about 22 points on 44.1% shooting. In the first full playoff game without Tatum, Brown scored 26, had 12 assists and 8 rebounds to help the team to victory. He also gave a valiant 20-point effort in the C’s blowout Game 6 loss to the Knicks.  

Since Tatum entered the league in 2017, Brown has appeared in 39 games where his superstar teammate did not play alongside him. In that sample size, Brown averages 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. The most notable of those games was a 50-point game from Brown in a victory against the Magic in 2022. Brown made 19 of 29 field goals and snagged 11 rebounds in the overtime victory. 

The supermax contract that Brown received in the summer of 2023 has been a topic of debate since the pen hit the paper. The guard signed a five-year $285 million dollar contract which runs through 2029. Has he lived up to it? An NBA championship certainly helps, but this year will be big as Brown really has to earn his money with his play.  

With a supporting cast of Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Anfrenee Simons, Brown will have to do the heavy lifting as the number one option in Boston. What can he do to elevate his game even further? 

Jaylen Brown with the Boston Celtics at a game. Brown averaged 22.2 points on 46.3% shooting across 63 games last season. Photo by @nbaindia on Instagram

The next thing he could do is work on his three-point shot. Brown shot a career low 32.4% from beyond the arc last season. Losing a slightly better three-point shooter in Tatum and valuable shooters in Porzingis and Holliday creates even more opportunities for JB. The four-time all-star should aim for close to a 40% clip from three this upcoming season.  

The last thing Brown can continue to improve on is his playmaking skills. The former third overall pick averaged a career high 4.5 assists last season. It took Brown until his fourth season to even average 2 assists, so the growth in his game is substantial with even more room to grow this season. The loss of Tatum and his underrated playmaking abilities puts a lot of pressure on Brown. Tatum would routinely see double teams allowing him to find the open man for a basket. If JB is able to work around these double teams by looking to pass the ball, his assists numbers will continue to blossom.  

If Brown can limit the distractions and continue to elevate his game, there is still hope this season for the Boston Celtics. They still have high level scorers and enough talent to win plenty of games. But it is up to Brown to take this team to the next level. This is the opportunity that he has been waiting for, so how will he respond?