For the past couple of seasons, media day for the Boston Celtics has been centered around championship aspirations. However, this time around, things were different. Of course, this was because of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury during last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. As a result, the 27-year-old forward is set to miss a significant number of matchups next season. Well, it’s not just Tatum’s game that has suffered due to his injury; the entire team has felt its tremors.

That’s because, due to the six-time All-Star’s absence, the front has realized that competing for another title isn’t possible this season, and that led to cutting costs to save millions of dollars that they were projected to pay in luxury tax. This saw them part ways with several of the players featured on their championship-winning roster just over a season ago, and the Celtics entered the media day with a new look and with many questions surrounding their future. So, here are some key takeaways from their highly anticipated media day.

Jayson Tatum feels “no pressure” regarding his return

It goes without saying that Jayson Tatum garnered the most attention while completing his media duties. And the Boston Celtics superstar did not disappoint. Although he’s already posted a clip of him returning to the hardwood, the Cs forward provided another massive update as he continues to recover from his injury. When asked whether he feels some pressure regarding his return from the team’s management, Tatum gave an impressive answer.

“There’s no pressure to return back any sooner than when I’m 100% healthy. No pressure from Brad, Joe, the team, the organization… The most important thing is that I’m 100% recovered and healthy,” Tatum said. The 27-year-old forward revealed that the Celtics organization has helped him throughout his recovery and will continue to. More importantly, his and the team’s focus is to get back to 100 percent rather than rushing his return to the court.

This should give the Boston faithful a sigh of relief, given that they want to see their franchise player make a strong comeback, even if that means they don’t see him in action this season. However, that might not be the case after all. That’s because JT also provided some promising news on his recovery timeline. “I’m in a really good spot. It’ll be five months tomorrow … being able to participate in a basketball workout was one of the more bright spots in this journey … feeling like a basketball player again,” Tatum said.

This statement from the six-time All-Star indicates that he is on the right path, and there’s a slight chance that we might even have him back for the Celtics sooner than expected. Well, that would be the best possible scenario for the illustrious franchise. Nonetheless, while Jayson Tatum continues to make significant strides in rehab, until then, the new signings will have to step up, and by the looks of things, GM Brad Stevens believes Anfernee Simons could be that guy in Jayson Tatum’s absence.

Brad Stevens thinks Anfernee Simons could be an X factor for the Celtics

Although this offseason has been more about cutting talent than acquiring it, Brad Stevens thinks the Cs have still managed to land a great scorer in Anfernee Simons. The 26-year-old guard joined Boston as part of the Jrue Holiday trade and is set to play a huge role this season in replacing the output lost with Jayson Tatum being on the sidelines. This isn’t just our opinion; the team’s GM, Brad Stevens, also shares this thought. “He is an electric scorer,” he said.

“He’s an outstanding shooter. He is a guy that teams will legitimately be thinking about when they enter the game. That’s a scouting report asterisks guy, you have to know him inside and out because he’s liable to go off.” Well, it seems like Stevens is more than excited about Anfernee Simons’ arrival, and if we’re being honest, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be. After all, the guard did show a lot of potential while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers last season.

In 70 games, Simons averaged a staggering 19.3 points along with 4.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. While this solid stat line should speak volumes about the 26-year-old’s skill set, we cannot help but mention that he fought for minutes alongside several other young guards in Portland. So, it’s safe to say that with him only sharing minutes with Derrick White and Payton Pritchard in Boston, his numbers will see a spike. Speaking of skills and depth, the Cs’ head coach also had a strong message for the critics.

Joe Mazzulla believes that no one should put a ceiling on this team just yet

Many have already ruled out the Boston Celtics from the title race, even before a single game has been played. In all fairness, the 2024 NBA champions have declined big time this summer, so it’s hard to place them as favorites. More so, given that several other teams have greatly improved in the summer. However, that’s not what Joe Mazzulla thinks. The championship-winning coach feels that even though they might have lost a few stars due to trades and injuries, that’s no reason to lower their expectations.

“If I ever get to the point where I start basing my motivation on the expectations of others and people that I’ve never met before,” said Mazzulla, “I’ll retire — quick. … That’s really the focus, not allowing others to put expectations on you. But if you don’t have high expectations for yourself, you’re not going to get to where you want to get to. So, every season picks up a life of its own, every journey is different, every team is different, and I think you have to look into that as you head into any season.”

Mazzulla suggested that, despite everyone saying that championship dreams might be too much of an ask from this newly assembled team, his goal is clear: to win a championship. When a reporter asked him if he was aiming for his second title, without a second thought, he said, “Every year, it should be.” Well, that’s a commendable mindset. Nonetheless, if Mazzulla wants to really go for it this season, one man and he’s confident will be crucial for his success.

Neemias Queta is a new superstar big man in the making

This summer, the Boston Celtics have had to bid an emotional goodbye to their unicorn, Kristaps Porzingis. Although it will not be easy for anyone to replace the Latvian center, especially after what he has achieved with the team, if anyone can, it’s the Portuguese sensation Neemias Queta, whose coming a staggering summer. At the FIBA EuroBasket 2025, he averaged 15.5 points along with 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks for his native Portugal.

Well, that’s an incredible stat line. So, no wonder that Queta believes his experience during the summer will help him take his game to the next level this season. “Playing over there, it helps it helps you build the confidence,” he told NBC Sports. “It can only get you more experience because you’re playing different versions of players, different sets of rules. It’s only gonna end up making the final meal better. You’re adding some more seasonings in there, whatever, like some different proteins, all that other stuff.”

“So, just having that experience and having a summer where I could work on different stuff, it’s only gonna help me be more versatile and being more relied upon when I come back here.” The seven-foot-tall center further added. Queta is quite confident going into the new campaign, and frankly speaking, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be after what he has done for his nation and the new skills he’s acquired while working out. Last but not least, Jaylen brown is eyeing a strong comeback.

Jaylen Brown is ready to lead the Celtics this season

While all eyes have been on Jayson Tatum, another Boston Celtics superstar is recovering in the shadows, Jaylen Brown. Last season, the shooting guard struggled in the latter stages as he constantly struggled with knee problems. So, the four-time NBA All-Star finally decided to undergo surgery during the offseason after playing through a partially torn meniscus. So, how does he feel now? “I feel great,” Brown told NBC Sports.

“I think I’m getting close to 100 percent. We’ve been trusting the medical staff, ramping up. But I feel great. My athleticism is back. I’m running, I’m a little lighter, I would say. I feel awesome. I feel ready.” It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that Brown feels like a new player after surgery. This is massive news for the Celtics supporters, as they’ve already suffered enough throughout the summer, so this should give them a breather.

While Boston has lost a few of its key players from the past few campaigns, such as Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, they are still a pretty solid team. More so, given everything we’ve seen from the franchise during their media day festivities. Now, what will they do once the season starts? That’ll be something everyone will be interested in watching, as the Cs tip off their campaign against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 13th.