Brad Stevens spoke on Sirius XM's NBA Channel on Friday.
With less than two weeks to go until training camp, the Boston Celtics have made the media rounds in the last few days, with Jayson Tatum appearing on Thursday's edition of 'The Dan Patrick Show' and Brad Stevens appearing on Sirius XM's NBA Channel on Friday.
Stevens spoke about his roster construction and championship goals with former Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine, but he also spoke about Tatum, who is facing his first full season since tearing his Achilles in the 2025 playoffs.
Tatum returned last March to play 16 games as the Celtics finished second in the Eastern Conference, but he spoke about his anxiety and nerves at returning. Stevens says he looks healthy and ready to go for training camp, adding that he's been setting a good example for the rest of the roster.
It was an interesting question for Scalabrine to ask, given that since Tatum returned last season from the Achilles injury, I think the expectation from everyone was that he would be fully healthy at the outset of this campaign.
Of course, it's worth noting that Tatum did miss Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs last season with "left knee stiffness." So perhaps the question was in reference to that.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) shoots a technical foul against the Toronto Raptors during the first half at TD Garden. Gregory Fisher-Imagn ImagesAbout Tatum
The No. 3 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Duke, Tatum is a six-time All-Star through his nine years in the league. A five-time All-NBA selection, he has helped the Celtics get to the NBA Finals twice, and he helped them win the title in 2023-24. He was a member of the All-Rookie Team in 2017-18 and was named the All-Star Game MVP in 2023.
He has averaged 23.5 ppg for his career to go along with 7.4 rebounds.
He was better in the rebounding department after returning last season, as he pulled down 10 a game. He averaged 21.8 ppg in those 16 games, also playing six games in the playoffs.
With Jaylen Brown no longer on the roster, he'll have plenty of pressure on him to help carry this roster. Even though Stevens wouldn't put a ceiling on it, we think that the C's are headed for a No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference right now.
The Eastern Conference has gotten significantly deeper in the offseason, with the 76ers, Raptors, Heat, and Wizards seeing extensive roster upgrades. The Indiana Pacers should be better as Tyrese Haliburton returns from his own Achilles injury.
