Jayson Tatum Is About to Find Out What Life Without Jaylen Brown Actually Looks Like

For the first time in his career, Jayson Tatum will walk into a Celtics season without Jaylen Brown next to him. That changes everything about how Boston operates and how the rest of the East looks at them.

The Celtics traded Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason for Paul George, two first-round picks, and a pair of second-round swaps. It was a shocker, especially after Brown led Boston to 56 wins last season while Tatum missed most of the year with an injury. But Brad Stevens saw something unsustainable in that first-round playoff collapse against the Sixers, where the Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history. So he pivoted.

Now Boston enters 2026-27 with a roster that looks different but not necessarily weaker. Mitchell Robinson came over from the Knicks. Mike Conley Jr. joined in free agency. Paul George, despite being 36, gives them a versatile wing who can create his own shot without needing to be the primary option. The supporting cast around Tatum includes Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and young guys like Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez. On paper, they’re a dark horse in the East, sitting behind the defending champion Knicks, Cleveland, Detroit, and now Philly with Brown added to Embiid and Maxey.

But paper doesn’t win playoff series. What does is what Joe Mazzulla is betting on: internal growth and a system that lets Tatum operate at his highest usage without needing a second star to split defensive attention. When Tatum’s usage rate hits 33% or higher, the Celtics are 76-9 in his career. That’s a ridiculous number. The question is whether that holds up without Brown drawing the other team’s best defender every night.

Stevens is betting on addition by subtraction. He’s convinced that Pritchard and White actually played better when Brown wasn’t on the floor last season. That’s not a knock on Jaylen. It’s just what the numbers say. White had a down shooting year from three — 32.7% — but he’s spent the summer working on it. He’s entering his sixth season in Boston, one more than he spent in San Antonio, and the playoffs showed what he can do when the stage gets big: 18.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game.

White spoke about the trade with a mix of gratitude and realism. He said Brown welcomed him when he got dealt to Boston and called him an amazing teammate and friend. But he also made it clear the business side doesn’t stop. He’s focused on a bounce-back season and knows he’s going to be counted on more than ever.

Mazzulla, meanwhile, is still processing the loss. He told The Athletic that there’s a grieving process for losing Brown as both a player and a person. But he also sees the opportunity. The Celtics addressed two of their biggest weaknesses from last year’s playoff exit by adding Robinson (rim protection) and Conley (playmaking). If they want to dethrone the Knicks, taking away New York’s starting center and putting him in Boston’s frontcourt is a smart first step.

Paul George is the wild card here. He won’t be asked to replace Brown’s production. Not even close. He averaged 16.4 points on 45.8/49.3/75.0 shooting splits in the playoffs last year, and the Celtics are hoping a reduced role alongside Tatum and White will get him cleaner looks. A motivated George in a complementary spot could be dangerous. The city of Boston tends to do that to players who buy in.

Nobody’s expecting the Celtics to win 60 games. But that’s fine. They don’t need to. They just need to be dangerous in June. And with Tatum leading a balanced group of veterans and young guys who have already proven they can win without him, this might be the best version of the Celtics we’ve seen since the championship. Maybe better. We’ll find out soon enough.