This isn’t normal.
On Monday, Jayson Tatum was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after leading Boston to wins over three of the hottest teams in the league — Oklahoma City (who had won 12 straight and 17 of its last 19), Atlanta (who had won 15 of 17), and Charlotte (who had won 11 of 15).
In those three games, he averaged 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.0 steals in 34.3 minutes. He recorded double-doubles in two of those three games (Oklahoma City and Atlanta), and in the one game he didn’t, he had a season-high 32 points, helping Boston clinch its 12th consecutive playoff appearance and fifth straight 50-win season.
A Player of the Week award is typically no big deal for a player like Tatum, who has been named First-Team All-NBA each of the last four seasons. But consider the timeline: ten months after a ruptured Achilles. Three weeks into a return. A Player of the Week award.
That’s not normal.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 23 of the 2025-26 season (March 23-29). pic.twitter.com/hBpHWcMMkQ
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 30, 2026
And in his first game in his fourth week, he picked up right where he left off.
He recorded his first triple-double of the season, and the sixth (including playoffs) of his career, with a dominant 25-point, 18-rebound (one shy of his career-high), 11-assist, 2-steal performance in a 147-129 win over the Miami. It was a stat line only matched by one other Celtic in franchise history: Larry Bird, who did it twice.
“It’s an honor anytime you are mentioned with an all-time great,” Tatum told ESPN’s Doris Burke with a smile. “It means I’m doing something right. So, I’m trying.”
Being mentioned in the same statistical category as arguably the greatest player in Celtics history is special. Doing it in your 12th game back from an Achilles rupture makes it all the more impressive.
And “impressive” still doesn’t fully capture Tatum’s return. Since coming back on March 6, he’s averaged 21.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals across 12 games. He’s posted a double-double in seven of those contests (58.3%), already ranking third on the team.
With Tatum on the floor this season, the Celtics are 10-2, winning seven games by double digits, including four by 15 or more points.
The Celtics are 10-2 with him on the floor this season, with seven of those 12 wins coming by double-digits, including four by 15+.
“That was great. He almost had 20 boards tonight, which is exceptional,” Jaylen Brown said. “JT has been building up, and that’s exactly according to plan, of what we imagined. Heading into the playoffs like a strong Jayson Tatum, physical. Him being who he is is going to
help be a better team.”
Tatum looks like himself sooner than many expected. Over his last four games, he’s averaged 25.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists. Shooting efficiency, a chief concern amid his return, has also improved: he’s hitting 42.5% from the field and 37.8% from three over those games, inching closer to his career 45% mark.
“I’m still trying to get back to where I was,” Tatum said. “It sounds cliché, but I feel a little bit better every game. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to be back to who I was, and hopefully better. But the goal is to just continue to stack days.”
If the last week-plus is any indicator, a full return to form could come sooner rather than later.
Games like Wednesday night are why more and more people are picking Boston to win the Eastern Conference as the playoffs near. Tatum looked like his old self, posting a triple-double that reminded everyone of the impact he can have on both ends of the floor.
Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown — having a First-Team All-NBA season of his own — scored 43 points on 17-of-29 (58.6%) shooting, including 4-of-10 (40%) from three, while adding seven assists and three rebounds. Brown has now scored 40+ points seven times this season, the most such games in the Eastern Conference. His 34 30+ point games are also the most in the Eastern Conference.
Together, they scored or assisted on 105 of Boston’s 147 points vs. Miami (71%), combining for 68 points, 21 rebounds, and 18 assists, with the Celtics improving to 8-1 when they both start and finish the game.
If Boston is going to make a deep playoff run, it’s going to be on the shoulders of Tatum and Brown, who continue to look sharper and stronger with just six regular-season games remaining. With both playing at this level, the Celtics enter the postseason as a serious contender.
