Don’t write off the 2025-26 Celtics quite yet.
That’s the message longtime Celtics president Rich Gotham delivered Thursday while addressing the state of the team, which is expected to be without star forward Jayson Tatum for most, if not all, of the season as he recovers from an Achilles injury sustained in the postseason.
“You’re going to see a team out there working as hard as possible to win. I don’t think it’s inconceivable that we will be a good team — a good winning team — this year,” Gotham told reporters in Providence as the team broke ground on an early education center, according to SB Nation.
“I’m not sure it’s gonna be the step down that people maybe anticipate and every indicator that we have, people are really excited. There’s been nothing that’s sort of, even though we lost in disappointing fashion and JT’s injury was tough for fans and for everyone, the excitement is there.”
Tatum, 27, went down with an Achilles injury in May during Game 4 of the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks, who finished the series in six games.
Gotham didn’t rule out that Tatum could return this season, acknowledging the six-time NBA All-Star will do everything he can to get back onto the court, even if unlikely.
“What I know about JT is that he’s gonna do everything he can to put us in the position to make a decision,” Gotham said.
“He’s gonna work hard to get back as soon as he can, and we’ll see how soon that is. But for right now, we’re not really looking at timetables.”
Tatum has been spotted without a walking boot in recent weeks as he continues his recovery.
The Celtics shook up their roster this offseason with the trades of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to Portland and Atlanta, respectively.
Boston received Anfernee Simons from the Blazers in the Holiday deal.
The Celtics are also unlikely to retain Al Horford, as the one-time NBA Champion has been heavily linked to the Golden State Warriors all summer.
The team has since moved on from recently acquired forward Georges Niang, trading him to the Jazz this week, along with two second-round picks, for rookie RJ Luis.