Celtic’s Jayson Tatum May Play March 6, But Return Highlights Sad Jaylen Brown Fact?
Even those who aren’t Boston Celtics fans (myself included) have to admit that Jayson Tatum has been fun to watch since debuting in the league back in 2017. When the forward is at his best, he easily ranks among most analysts' lists of the top 10 players in the NBA today. So it was understandably devastating to watch him go down on May 12, 2025, with a ruptured Achilles tendon during the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks.
Fast forward nearly 10 months, and after extensive recovery, ESPN reports that Tatum could return to the Celtics’ official rotation for the March 6th home game against the Dallas Mavericks. That’s fantastic news for the Celtics, the city of Boston, and NBA watchers everywhere.
With all that being said, I can’t help but think about Jaylen Brown a bit. To be clear, I’m not someone who pits the superstars against one another. However, the hype around Tatum’s return punctuates something I’ve been saying for a while.
Jaylen Brown Is Constantly Undervalued Outside of the Celtics Community
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
Brown is a bona fide superstar in today’s NBA and one of the best (arguably the best) two-way players currently in the league. There’s a reason Boston agreed to a five-year, $304 million supermax extension to his contract back in 2023.
In Tatum’s absence, Brown has done a remarkable job of leading the team to the Number 2 spot in the Eastern Conference. Not only that, but Brown is having the best season of his career. According to Basketball Reference, for the 2025-2026 season, Brown is averaging 28.9 points, 5 assists, and 7.2 rebounds. Although he’s not the sole reason for the Celtics’ success this season, he’s a big part of it, and you’d think he'd be a bigger part of the MVP conversation.
Sadly, looking at the NBA’s “Kia MVP Ladder” as of publication, Brown is ranked sixth on the list. The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, and the Lakers’ Luka Dončić are all currently ranked higher in this preliminary ranking. Now I’m not saying these other players aren’t deserving to be in the MVP discussion, but Brown has been helping Boston kill it on the court this season, which a number of analysts didn’t think could be done in Tatum’s absence. Plus, Brown’s numbers speak for themselves.
Adding insult to injury, a recent ESPN report was released predicting the USA men's 12-team basketball roster for the 2028 Olympics. Brown was mentioned, but not listed in the 12, which included his teammate Tatum.
Bringing this back to my original point. I’m happy Tatum is returning to the Celtics. Truly. I just fear that all the work Brown’s done this season, and if Boston makes it far into the playoffs, dare I say gets a championship, Brown won’t get his just due now that Tatum is back. Which shouldn’t be the case. It’s worth repeating, I'm not pitting the two against each other, I just believe Brown deserves more credit and respect.
How to Watch the Boston vs Mavericks Game on March 6
The Boston Celtics will be at home on March 6 when they take on the Dallas Mavericks. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT on ESPN. You’ll just have to watch and see if Tatum does indeed make his triumphant return to the NBA court.