Boston Celtics
“You get JT back, even at 75 percent, and it’s going to be hell and high water for the rest of the league.”
Kendrick Perkins believes the Celtics could make a run this spring. Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images
Kendrick Perkins might have won a championship in Boston, but the former Celtics center has often been critical of his former team — especially during the Celtics’ eventual run to a championship during the 2023-24 season.
But, Perkins appears to be changing his tune about this current Celtics roster — especially if Jayson Tatum returns to the parquet floor at some point over the final months of the 2025-26 campaign.
Even with Boston playing without Tatum so far this season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Celtics have exceeded plenty of expectations in what was once thought to be a “bridge” season for the franchise.
Boston’s painful offseason — which included the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Luke Kornet via trade or free agency — hasn’t scuttled the Celtics’ standing as a contender, with Joe Mazzulla’s club currently sitting in second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 35-19.
And if Tatum does get the green light to play less than a year removed from such a devastating injury, Perkins believes that Boston has the talent — and mettle — to go on an improbable run this spring.
“[If] Jayson Tatum returns, they are my dark horse to win it all,” Perkins said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Thursday. “Derrick White? Champion, been balling. Payton Pritchard? Champion, been balling. Joe Mazzulla? Up for Coach of the Year.
“Jaylen Brown is the best two-way player in the game. He’s the only player in the NBA that is top-five in scoring and top-five in defense when it comes to opponent field-goal percentage. This team has a culture. You get JT back, even at 75 percent, and it’s going to be hell and high water for the rest of the league.”
This is not the first time this month that Perkins has praised the play of the Celtics, who have won six of their last seven games entering the All-Star break.
“If Jayson Tatum comes back, I wouldn’t put them as the favorite,” Perkins acknowledged on ESPN, “but I would say this: Even without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are the most dangerous team in the NBA. …. They’re the only team that’s like a top-three seed in their conference with no expectations. That’s a dangerous team. They’re playing with house money.”
Even while Tatum’s health and availability remains up in the air, Perkins believes that Brown’s rise as a legitimate MVP contender will make Boston a tough out come the postseason.
“If I had to vote today, Jaylen Brown gets my vote for MVP. He is the best two-way player in the game,” Perkins said. “He’s the only player in the NBA that is top five in scoring and top five defensively when it comes down to opponent field goal percentage. That is MVP status. I don’t want to say this to slight Derrick White or be disrespectful to what Payton Pritchard is doing, but Jaylen Brown is doing more with less, so he would get my MVP vote.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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