Jayson

Tatum

The Celtics have one more preseason game, Friday night in Philadelphia, and Tatum’s Wednesday workload could mean he sits that one out. He played 29 minutes against Charlotte and led all scorers with 19 points. Tatum also recorded six assists, and Payton Pritchard was the only Celtic with more. Tatum has a first-round ADP in Yahoo drafts, and with good reason. As long as he stays healthy, JT should be an elite fantasy option in any league format.

The Celtics looked early on like a team with a lot of guys playing together for the first time before Tatum started to assert himself from a facilitating and scoring standpoint. Things turned around rather quickly afterwards as the new-look Tatum and Paul George combination seemed like a natural fit playing together on both ends of the floor. He also made sure to involve offseason acquisition Mitchell Robinson with a couple early pick-and-roll opportunities. It’s abundantly clear that this version of the Celtics has been built to revolve entirely around Tatum with an assortment of quality complementary pieces. The 28-year-old franchise cornerstone looks completely healthy after missing most of last year recovering from an Achilles injury and will be a top-five range pick in most fantasy drafts this fall.

After suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, Tatum surprised many by returning to action in early March. However, the Celtics star played only 16 games before a lingering left knee issue kept him out of Game 7 of Boston’s first-round series against Philadelphia. The good news is that Tatum spent most of his offseason getting “stronger and more explosive” instead of rehab, and he “feels great” going into training camp. That’s excellent news for the Celtics and for fantasy managers, who should look to select Tatum in the first round of standard league drafts.

Tatum’s left leg gave him trouble during Boston’s Game 6 loss to the 76ers, but Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was confident on Friday that the star forward would be available for Game 7. Added to the injury report early Saturday afternoon, Tatum is now officially out. Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman are potential replacements in the starting lineup, with the former being the more likely choice due to what he brings to the table defensively.

Tatum was added to the injury report Saturday afternoon as questionable with left knee stiffness. It’s not a good sign for the 28-year-old power forward. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters on Friday that Tatum would play. Now his superstar’s status is legitimately up in the air on the afternoon of Game 7.

Mazzulla was quoted as saying, “He’ll play,” so Celtics fans should expect the superstar to be on the court for the winner-take-all matchup at TD Garden. In seven career Game 7’s, Tatum has averaged 26.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists across 41.5 minutes.

Tatum put up a double-double in the loss, but didn’t log an overly impressive stat line. He took just 13 shots in his 29 minutes of game action, and although he shot fairly well, the limited volume led to his lowest-scoring total of the series. He’s remained strong on the glass throughout the series, but his team would likely benefit from additional contributions in other areas on Saturday when the Celtics host the Sixers in Game 7.

Though it was a subpar shooting night for him, Tatum was still able to make a big impact in this game. He had a point-assist double-double in Game 4, but he got his double-double on the glass in this one. Tatum has shot at least 50 percent in the Celtics’ three wins during this series and below 50 percent in the two losses. If they want to close this series out in Game 6 on Thursday, Tatum will have to shoot the ball better than he did in this game.

Tatum has recorded a double-double in three of the four games in this series, and he notched his first 30-point game in Game 4. The Celtics’ star finished three rebounds shy of a triple-double, with the lone complaint being his five turnovers. Overall, Tatum has gotten sharper by the game, which makes the Celtics a serious threat to win an NBA title. The first order of business for Boston is to close out the 76ers, with Game 5 scheduled for Tuesday at TD Garden.

Tatum iced the game for the Celtics with a pull-up three-pointer from the right wing with 25 second left in regulation. It was the 28-year-old small forward’s fifth three-pointer of the night. Tatum also had seven assists. The Celtics have at least guaranteed a split in Philadelphia, but could really take control of the series with a win in Game four on Sunday.