Jaylen Brown will have added pressure on him during the 2025-26 season with Jayson Tatum likely sidelined for the entire year with an Achilles injury. But for one Celtics legend, he’s not sure whether Brown can lead Boston to success without his teammate.
“In my judgment, Jaylen is not quite at the superstar level that Tatum is at,” Bob Cousy told The Boston Globe‘s Dan Shaughnessy. “Can he carry the load by himself? I see a major rebuilding effort here. Jaylen certainly won’t bring them to the promised land. ... (Derrick) White’s a good player and he’ll produce and he’ll be consistent, but his game doesn’t lend itself to carrying a team.”
While the Celtics have managed without Tatum in the past, they’ve never had to do so for an entire season. They went 8-2 in 10 games without Tatum in 2024-25.
Brown also has emerged as a star for the Celtics and has averaged at least 20 points-per-game in his last six seasons. The All-Star guard is recovering from meniscus surgery performed earlier this summer and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
However the Celtics will look quite different going into the new season. Aside from not having Tatum, Boston will also be without Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis after they were traded in the offseason. Al Horford, who’s a free agent, is considering retirement and Luke Kornet signed with the San Antonio Spurs.
It won’t be all on Brown to get the Celtics back to the playoffs, but he’ll certainly play a big part in doing so. He’ll likely take on a bigger role in the absence of Tatum, as will White. Whether they can lead Boston to the postseason remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Brown and White take their game to another level.
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