The Celtics are tied for second in the East with the Knicks after a loss to the Hawks on Wednesday night dropped Boston to 29-18 on the year. Jaylen Brown has led the Celtics roaring past preseason expectations, most of which pegged Boston as a low seed in a weak East with potential to wind up in the draft lottery. Instead, with less than half the season remaining, the C’s are in good position to secure homecourt advantage for at least one round of the playoffs and have as good a chance as anybody to compete for the conference crown.
All that has led to plenty of speculation about how dangerous the team could be with Jayson Tatum in the fold. The All-NBA forward tore his Achilles last May and his recovery has been smooth thus far. The Celtics still haven’t offered an update or a timeline for him to return to play, but reports have collectively suggested Tatum would push to play this year. However, with an injury this severe, it’s impossible for anyone outside the organization to know how realistic that is, and just about nobody has a clue how Tatum will play when the time to get back on the court does come.
