The Boston Celtics have defied expectations without Jayson Tatum. Kendrick Perkins believes they can pull off the improbable if their star plays this season.
Perkins has high hopes for his former team if Tatum returns from a ruptured Achilles. The 2008 NBA champion picked the Celtics as a sleeper to go the distance on ESPN's "Get Up."
"Guess what? (If) Jayson Tatum returns, they're my dark horse to win it all," Perkins said on Thursday.
Boston hasn't bided its time and accepted a lost year without Tatum. Instead, the Celtics hold the Eastern Conference's second-best record at 35-19.
Perkins praised Boston's foundational players and head coach Joe Mazzulla for holding the fort down without the six-time All-Star.
"Derrick White? Champion, been balling," Perkins declared. "Payton Pritchard? Champion, been balling. Joe Mazzulla (is) up for Coach of the Year. Jaylen Brown is the best two-way player in the game."
Despite rampant speculation, Tatum hasn't decided if he'll play again this season. Yet the 27-year-old has continued to make encouraging progress in his recovery from a significant injury suffered last May.
It may not be reasonable to expect immediate All-NBA production if he returns, but Perkins doesn't think the Celtics need Tatum at his absolute best to make another championship run.
"This team has a culture," Perkins said. "You get JT back, even at 75 percent, and it's going to be hell and high water for the rest of the league."
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