Standing by his brother, Jaylen Brown made his belief clear about Jayson Tatum. Right from the Finals MVP debate, several narratives tested the Boston Celtics superstar duo. Despite that, they stood rock solid. Now, they have another test in front of them with JT returning to the floor from Achilles rehab. This time, it’s bigger and has far greater stakes.

However, Brown, unfazed by the stakes, confidently backed his brother. As promised ahead of the season, the former Finals MVP was active again on Twitch. This is where he addressed the elephant in the room – JT’s shaky return and shooting slump. Speaking of which, the 29-year-old said, “JT. He feels confident; he feels comfortable with. So some of that takes some ups and downs, but I got full belief in Jayson Tatum.”

Moreover, the belief extended beyond JT to the rest of the team. “I got full belief in our team, and we just gotta, we just gotta keep our connectivity, handle our adversity the right way. Everything in it is always gonna go your way in life.” With only a handful of games left before the postseason, Brown seemed determined to steady the ship and lock in.

Rolling back the clock to October 2025, the Celtics were nowhere near the playoff picture. With Jayson Tatum recovering without a return timeline, everyone expected Jaylen Brown & Co. to play out the season, with no expectations to go deep in the playoffs. Well, the basketball gods had other ideas, as the team is currently on track to finish second in the East. Above all, JT returned to the mix much earlier than he was expected.

With a record of 6-2 since his return and a gradual increase in his playing time, everything seemed promising on the outside until there was a growing concern. And also, there was a blunt evaluation from a former player.

Jayson Tatum: Finding his game again

First and foremost, Jayson Tatum has recovered from a career-altering injury and returned to the court. It deserved a ton of respect in itself. Despite his limitations in athletic burst, speed, and lateral movement, he has managed to put up 19.1 ppg and 8.9 rebounds with minutes restrictions. In short, he has exceeded his expectations as a role player.

Nevertheless, there are still concerns about his shooting. Crucially, it wasn’t just his shooting percentage but the entire team’s. Former NBA player Tracy McGrady, speaking of it, said, “I’m sure there’s a lot mentally that these guys are going through because of the insertion of JT and them not playing the same type of basketball that they played individually, not shooting the ball well.”

In numbers, the Celts, who shot 46.5% without JT, are now shooting 44.9%. It may not seem like a big drop, but it surely will impact how Joe Mazzulla approaches his rotations and spacing in the coming weeks. Speaking of his shooting slump (38.8%), 6.4% drop from the previous season, Tatum said, “I wouldn’t say normal slump because this is the first time I’ve went through something like this. It’s been a long time.”

Moreover, he also promised to “put it all together” in the upcoming games. So with Jaylen Brown showing full faith and JT promising a better shooting display, the Celtics look out for another peak before the playoffs.

At the same time, the Celtics have a chance to do something that no one expected: clinch the Eastern Conference. With Cade Cunningham out indefinitely, the Pistons sit at the top unprotected!