The Boston Celtics are 7-3 since Jayson Tatum returned from his Achilles injury, and they’re doing it while shooting the ball poorly from beyond the arc. Over their last ten games, Boston ranks 25th in three-point percentage despite being third in attempts. Head coach Joe Mazzulla’s system demands volume from deep, so seeing the Celtics win games when the jumpers aren’t falling is genuinely frightening for the rest of the league.
Tatum is averaging 19.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 30.3 minutes across his first nine games back. He’s shooting just 39.1% from the field and 30.9% from three — well below his career norms. The six-time All-Star missed nearly ten months after Achilles surgery, so this level of production is actually encouraging. He’s not yet the explosive, 50/40/90 version of himself, but he’s already making the Celtics better in multiple areas, particularly on the glass and in elevating Jaylen Brown.
It’s not just Tatum struggling. Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser are all shooting under 32% from three since Tatum’s return. Only Payton Pritchard and Baylor Scheierman have been consistently knocking down threes during this stretch. Celtics fans know that won’t last — better shooting days are coming.
Beating Good Teams Without Making Shots
Since Tatum returned, Boston has already knocked off the Thunder, Cavaliers, Suns, and Warriors — all teams with playoff aspirations or play-in positioning. They’re winning games against quality competition even when the three-ball isn’t falling. That’s a terrifying sign for the Eastern Conference.
Brown won’t shoot 30% from three forever. White has shot over 38% from deep for three straight seasons, and Hauser remains one of the purest shooters on the roster. Once those jumpers start falling — and they will — the Celtics’ offense will become even more lethal.
Tatum is already impacting winning without being at 100%. He’s bought in on rebounding, facilitating, and making life easier for Brown. The Celtics are significantly better with him on the floor, and they still haven’t played their best basketball yet.
A Legitimate Title Threat
With only 11 regular-season games remaining, Boston sits as the No. 2 seed in the East at 48-24. Mazzulla is an elite coach, and the entire roster is bought into his system. The Celtics will continue firing away from deep, and more of those shots will eventually drop.
The “gap year” narrative died months ago. Tatum’s return is quickly silencing any remaining doubts. The Eastern Conference will almost certainly run through Boston again this postseason. No team should want to face this version of the Celtics in the playoffs — especially once they start making their open threes.
Celtics fans knew Tatum would improve their title chances, but even the biggest believers probably didn’t expect the team to keep winning at this rate while shooting this poorly from deep. Their gap in the standings is real, and the margin for error is shrinking for everyone else in the East.
All the Celtics need to do is start making jumpers again. When that happens, they won’t just be contenders — they may very well be the favorites to cut down the nets in June.
The scary part? They’re already winning without them.