Jaylen Brown ‘Looking Forward’ To 2025-26 Season Despite Jayson Tatum’s Injury

Over a span of just a couple of months, the Boston Celtics’ outlook has completely changed. Back in May, it seemed like the C’s had a great shot at repeating as champions. Now, their future is cloudy, as Jayson Tatum is set to miss an extended period after he ruptured his Achilles in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

With Tatum out, Jaylen Brown is set to assume leadership of Boston in his absence. While Brown has often been the 1B to Tatum’s 1A, this will be a new role for him to take on, as it’s the first time he will be the de facto No. 1 option for the Celtics.

The problem is that Tatum isn’t the only player the C’s will be without next year. The front office has already traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this offseason, and after losing Luke Kornet in free agency, it seems very likely that Al Horford will eventually follow him out the door.

As a result, Brown is going to have to shoulder a heavy burden next season for Boston. And while Tatum’s injury and the aforementioned departures have some Celtics fans feeling gloomy, Brown revealed that he’s excited to take on a bigger role during Tatum’s absence.

“I feel like I’m very talented,” Brown said, per Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog. “I’m one of the (most) talented people in this league, on this planet, I feel like. I’m looking forward to showing the world more.”

Brown has already proven himself to be a star during his first nine seasons with the Celtics. Last year, Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and a career-high 4.5 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field, earning him his third-straight All-Star selection.

However, pretty much all of Brown’s production throughout his career has come while working in tandem with Tatum. Now that he’s out, is there another level to his game that Brown can reach?

Once the 2025-26 campaign rolls around, Brown will be looking to definitively answer that question with a resounding “yes.” If he can, the Celtics could end up surprising a lot of folks come next season.