The Boston Celtics have forced their way back into the contender conversation this season. And now with Jayson Tatum back in the fold, veteran NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith believes the rest of the Eastern Conference should be concerned.
Stephen A. Smith Warns East About Celtics’ Ceiling with Jayson Tatum
The Celtics entered the 2025-26 season under a cloud of uncertainty after Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. The injury was widely expected to sideline him for the season, with many projecting this as a gap year for the franchise.
Boston, instead, has bulldozed its way to a 48-24 record and now sits second in the East behind the Detroit Pistons. The surge has been fueled in large part by Jaylen Brown, who is putting together a career year and carried the offensive load in Tatum’s absence.
While the Celtics’ current form is impressive on its own, Smith believes the bigger concern lies in what they could become if Tatum returns to full strength. The outspoken ESPN personality laid out a direct challenge to the rest of the conference on “The Stephen A. Smith Show”:
“Look at the Boston Celtics right now and tell me who you can definitively say looks better than them in the Eastern Conference.
“I’m just looking at them right now and imagining if Jason Tatum gets back to 100 percent. If Jalen Brown continues to look this way. What are you going to do about the Boston Celtics? I’m just giving respect where it’s due and paying attention to it all.
“Understanding that what we’re seeing from the Boston Celtics, a team that lost in the second round to the New York Knicks last year, when New York Knicks rolled into Boston and won games one and two on Boston’s home turf.
“I’m looking at that and I’m saying to myself, are we paying attention? The Boston Celtics are not going away.
“They’re making you pay attention to them, and you damn well had better do it. I’ve got the Boston Celtics looking like the best team in the Eastern Conference right now. Tell me I’m wrong.”
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The most compelling argument from Smith revolves around the return of Tatum at full strength.
The Celtics’ franchise cornerstone returned to the lineup on March 6, 2026, against the Dallas Mavericks, approximately 10 months after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon that was universally regarded as a season-ending setback. However, the six-time NBA All-Star and the cornerstone of the Celtics’ 2024 title run were back on the floor, ahead of every projected timeline.
While he is not yet at full speed, his presence alone changes the structure of the team. Through nine games this season, he is averaging 19.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, though his efficiency has dipped to 39.1% from the field and 30.9% from three. But the mere presence of a healthy Tatum on the floor is a headache the rest of the Eastern Conference had budgeted not to deal with.
If Tatum works his way back to 100%, the equation changes in the East completely. The combination of Tatum and Brown has already delivered a championship in 2024 and powered a 61-21 campaign last season that ended in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. With both players available again, Boston’s ceiling rises to a level few teams in the East can match.
Getting even 80% of that version back in the fold matters enormously for the Celtics and the East. Getting 100% of Tatum is a massive concern that Smith is asking the conference to reckon with.
The Celtics, meanwhile, remained elite even without peak production from their franchise cornerstone. The team ranks second in offensive rating at 120.2, fourth in defensive rating at 112.6, and fourth in net rating at 7.6. That balance has allowed them to stay among the conference’s top teams despite the circumstances.
