Jayson Tatum’s return to the Boston Celtics after his devastating Achilles injury last year continues to make headlines. The NBA champion bounced back from the injury well before the end of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, but the team’s recent form with him in the mix prompted former NBA star Tracy McGrady to share his concerns. Adding a different take to this was former player-turned-analyst Richard Jefferson.
Richard Jefferson Responds to Tracy McGrady’s Concerns Over Jayson Tatum
Speaking on the “Road Trippin’ Show” podcast, Jefferson weighed in on McGrady’s comments from earlier this week. “Make no mistake. Boston has had an outstanding season. Jaylen Brown is an MVP candidate, a first-team All-NBA guy. He’s had probably the best season from a leadership standpoint and directing the whole 82-game season of his career,” he said.
“They cannot accomplish something great without Jayson Tatum. So whatever you have to sacrifice over an 8 to 10 game stretch within reason, and it’s about him acclimating, finding out what he has, it’s about the team finding out how to incorporate him without losing their identity.”
“But make no mistake, their job is to incorporate him,” the NBA champion added. “They are not a conference finalist. In my opinion, like their percentage of being a conference finalist, greatly increases if Jayson Tatum 60% it increases, if he is 70%, if he is 80%, the closer they can get to him being that percentage, that is the better off they are.”
Jefferson’s lengthy take comes after McGrady said Tatum’s reintegration had the Celtics sputtering on either end of the floor. The former NBA All-Star opined that the forward’s insertion and his acclimatizing phase were costing Boston as the regular season inched toward a close.
The debate about Tatum’s return and the Celtics’ ceiling began after the team went 6-3 in its last nine games, followed by a tough 102-92 loss to an Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves team. Tatum’s offensive rust, along with the Celtics adjusting to life with their superstar back in the mix, has seen Joe Mazzulla and his men go through a wobbly few games.
That said, Jefferson’s take of the team using the remainder of the regular season to fine-tune strategy and game plans with Tatum in the fold makes sense if the side looks for a deeper playoff run. At the time of writing, the Celtics are second in the East with a 47-24 record. They play the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Wednesday, March 25.
They end their homestand against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, March 27, and hit the road for a four-game trip. With 11 games left, the Celtics will hope to finish with a flourish and hope Tatum hits his stride along the way.
