Inside Jayson Tatum’s impending return to the Celtics

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily – "Inside Jayson Tatum’s Impending Return to the Celtics"

Date: March 3, 2026
Hosts: Dave DeFore, Esfandiar Baraheni, J. King (The Athletic)

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Episode Overview

This episode takes a deep dive into the Boston Celtics’ impressive season, focusing on team culture, player development, and the impending return of franchise cornerstone Jayson Tatum from injury. The hosts also touch on key NBA games from the night, the state of the Nuggets, Clippers, and Jazz, and broader questions of team-building and coaching. With Celtic beat writer J. King, the crew analyzes what has driven Boston’s overachieving year, the challenges and opportunities Tatum’s return presents, and how the new Celtics identity might shape the postseason.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Nuggets Survive Against the Jazz ([04:00])

• Game Recap: Denver narrowly defeats Utah, 128-125, amid controversial refereeing.
  • “They almost blew a game to the Utah Jazz, who are actively trying to lose. They wind up winning thanks to the refs, a little bit.” – Dave DeFore (04:00)
  • The final moments featured a foul reversal on Jokic, leading to outcry from the hosts:
    • “Unbelievable is a really kind word, I would say.” – Esfandiar (05:03)
    • “Egregious for sure.” – Dave DeFore (05:06)
• Jokic’s Performance: Noted for theatrics and "flopping as an art form."
  • “If you have a chance, folks... Jokic takes it to another level.” – Esfandiar (05:16)
• Utah’s Future: Jazz are “already good,” and could be a real factor next year if they play their young talent.

Darius Garland’s Clippers Debut ([06:26])

• Return from Injury: Garland came off the bench for the Clippers, looked rusty (5 turnovers, 12 points), but the mere fact that he played was a positive sign.
  • “The fact that he played and there were no complications... that’s a good sign for the Clippers moving forward.” – Esfandiar (07:23)
• Young Big Man Breakout: Janik Conan (Clippers) impressed with athleticism and defense.
  • “He’s very traditional, like rim runner... defensively, he’s a very intriguing big man.” – Esfandiar (08:41)
  • “He’s been working with Zubac and Brook Lopez... picking up some stuff from them.” – Dave DeFore (09:29)

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Deep Dive: Boston Celtics’ Identity & Tatum’s Return ([12:35])

Bucks vs. Celtics: Boston’s Dominance ([12:35])

• Celtics Rout Bucks: Winning big even without Jalen Brown, featuring breakout games from role players.
  • “The Bucks just never had a chance. They let Ugo Gonzalez look like Wilt Chamberlain.” – J. King (12:52)
  • “Is this the most fun you’ve had watching a Celtics team?” – Esfandiar (14:18)

Celtics Team Culture and Unexpected Depth ([14:30])

• J. King details how Boston’s “totally enjoyable” year is built on buy-in, player development, and a deep rotation of unheralded young contributors (Ugo Gonzalez, Baylor Shireman, Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr.).
  • “It’s just the mentality of the whole team, it seems is just totally bought in, a little crazy... crashing the offensive glass, borderline reckless in some ways, but also super polished.” – J. King (15:08)
  • “I thought this would be a really thin team. Instead, it’s really deep with options everywhere.” – J. King (16:45)
• Milwaukee’s Struggles Contrasted: Bucks criticized for self-centered roster, relying too much on offense, lacking team concept.
  • “The Bucks have a lot of guys... about themselves, that don’t really know the game.” – J. King (16:55)
  • “The Celtics... have a bunch of guys who are willing to play a role, who excel in those roles, who do all the little things…” – J. King (17:19)
• Ugo Gonzalez compared: “My group chat calls him Spanish Dennis Rodman.” – Dave DeFore (18:18)

Drafting, Development, and Front Office Accolades ([19:11])

• Boston praised for recent drafting and development, maximizing late picks while Milwaukee stagnated.
• Jordan Walsh and Baylor Shireman called out as standouts.

Jayson Tatum's Impending Return ([20:07])

• Hype & Marketing: Tease with “back to zero” billboards and Tatum “minisodes.”
  • “If he’s not coming back, then all this would be pretty strange.” – J. King (20:22)
• Timetable & Role: Speculated best odds are Friday at home against Dallas (21:00). Tatum wants the home crowd for his return.
• Information Lockdown: Missoula and the Celtics are playing it tight; no specifics from practices, though teammates say Tatum “looks good” in workouts.
  • “Joe Missoula... literally just stared at the person who asked the question... Did not say a word.” — J. King (22:20)
• Mental Hurdles: Acknowledges Tatum is wrestling with his role on a team that found an identity without him and anxiety over return from first major injury.
  • “He’s even had concerns about how he’s going to fit back into the team... just something he’s going to have to deal with. That they’re going to have to deal with.” – J. King (23:03)
• Team Adjustment: “They have to reincorporate this guy. It’s a very interesting moment for Joe Missoula, who had a lot of questions about [his] coaching last year.” – Esfandiar (24:03)

Joe Missoula’s Coach of the Year Case ([24:25])

• Boston withstood long absences for Tatum, Horford, Holiday, Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and developed youth instead.
  • “They lost more than half their rotation... had zero big men with legitimate NBA experience.” – J. King (24:27)
  • “He’s found new ways to win... wings crash the glass like no other wings do. He’s set the tone for that from the start.” – J. King (26:08)
• Celtics now boast best offense in the league, and recently, best defense:
  • “They have the best offense in the league after losing all that we just discussed, without Jason Tatum playing a minute.” – J. King (27:09)
  • “Over the last month, [they] have the best defense in the league, which I think is a huge step...” – Esfandiar (27:18)

Outlook for Playoffs and Managing Tatum’s Return ([31:14])

• Celtics’ Ceiling: Eastern Conference is open, team’s “energy wings” enable defensive versatility after moving on from Anthony Simons.
• Lineup Crunch with Tatum: Integrating Tatum could mean fewer minutes for the young standouts.
  • “It will hurt the Celtics to have to take away minutes from some of those younger guys because... they’re really taking advantage of their opportunities right now.” – J. King (33:19)
  • “Once Tatum comes back, there’s just not going to be enough minutes on the wing for everybody. I want to see how Joe Missoula approaches that.” – J. King (33:37)

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Charlotte Hornets Mini-Segment ([27:52])

• Praise for new head coach Charles Lee’s energy and focus on the margins (threes, possession game, habits).
  • “They needed someone to bring life to that organization.” – J. King (28:17)
• Shoutout to rookie Cononipple (“ridiculous”), Diabate (“animal on the glass”), and team fit.
• Cautiously optimistic on LaMelo Ball’s maturation:
  • “There have been some group chat texts in the past about Lamelo’s unseriousness... but man, he can really play…” – J. King (30:19)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Boston’s culture:
  “It’s just the mentality of the whole team, it seems is just totally bought in, a little crazy... crashing the offensive glass, borderline reckless... but also super polished.” – J. King ([15:08])

• Jokic flopping spectacle:
  “If you want to just watch flopping as an art form, I would go and watch this Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz game because Jokic takes it to another level.” – Esfandiar ([05:16])

• On the Celtics’ unexpected quality:
  “I thought this would be a really thin team. Instead, it’s really deep with options everywhere.” – J. King ([16:45])

• Tatum billboards and hype:
  “There are billboards saying ‘back to zero’ with Jason Tatum’s face. If he’s not coming back, then all this stuff would seem pretty strange.” – J. King ([20:22])

• On Tatum fitting back in:
  “He’s had concerns about how he’s going to fit back into the team... maybe I won’t be 100% back to myself when I get back on that court.” – J. King ([22:23])

• Young guys vs. Tatum minutes:
  “It will hurt the Celtics to have to take away minutes from some of those younger guys... I want to see how Joe Missoula approaches that.” – J. King ([33:19])

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Timestamps: Key Segments

• [04:00] — Nuggets “escape” the Jazz, Jokic antics, and the state of Utah’s youth
• [06:26] — Clippers: Darius Garland’s return; Janik Conan’s defensive promise
• [12:35] — Celtics crush Bucks; in-depth conversation on Boston’s identity and overacheivers
• [20:07] — Return watch: Jayson Tatum’s timeline, mental challenges, and fitting back in
• [24:25] — Joe Missoula’s remarkable coaching performance; Coach of the Year debate
• [27:52] — Charlotte Hornets’ sneakily promising rebuild
• [31:14] — Playoff outlook for the Celtics with/without Tatum; young wings’ role

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Conclusion

This episode delivers an insider perspective on the Celtics’ stunning season — how the right culture, depth, and coaching led to an over-performing team even without Jayson Tatum. With his return looming, the biggest question is not if Boston can stay elite, but how they will balance minutes and roles for their upstart contributors and perennial All-Star. Throughout, the hosts provide colorful anecdotes, sharp analysis, and a few laughs, making this a must-listen for Celtics fans and NBA junkies alike.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily, presented by Amazon prime for March 3, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Esperaheni. Coming up, the Nuggets got a scare. We're going to talk about Jokic a little bit. Darius Garland's back. We're going to talk about his debut for the Clippers. And J. King is here to talk about the Celtics, Jalen Brown round and Tatum's comeback. Good morning, everybody. What's up, S? How you doing, buddy?

[Esperaheni]

Living the dream, man.

[Guest Contributor]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah. Look, a weird night in basketball.

[Dave DeFore]

Not.

[Esperaheni]

Undoubtedly.

[Dave DeFore]

Not a good one, I will say. And it's funny because we had some returns. We had Giannis Anto come back. Yeah. For some reason, I don't.

[J. King]

I don't think he would have come back if he.

[Dave DeFore]

If he would have known that they were going to lose by.

[Esperaheni]

By 30.

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Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

27 points to the Celtics with no Jaylen Brown. I mean, yeah, Nema Kato wasn't out there. They're just no excuse for the Bucks. But we talked about that game a little bit after the break with J. King anyway. Okay, we gotta talk about the Nuggets, man. Look, they. They had a couple of, we'll say, rough losses, but. But two good teams. Okay. They lose to OKC on Friday, they lose to the Wolves on Sunday. Then they have to go hop on a plane and go to Utah. Now, it's not a far flight. I feel like the trip from downtown Denver to the Denver airport is probably longer than the flight from Denver to Salt Lake City. Okay, so it's not a lot of travel, but there is still some travel. And they almost blew a game to the Utah Jazz, who are actively trying to lose. They wind up winning thanks to the refs, a little bit. 128, 125. Look, the refs gave them the game at the end here. I thought it was an unbelievable reversal on that foul call on Yokich.

[Esperaheni]

Unbelievable is a really kind word, I would say.

[Dave DeFore]

Egregious for sure.

[Esperaheni]

Egregious. It felt like it was. They were gift wrapping the game to them at that point because there was

[Dave DeFore]

a delay of game penalty down there.

[Esperaheni]

There was a lot of moments where it felt like Denver could have completely lost this game. And yet, like, like you mentioned, a lot of Jokic antics in this one. There was the viral clip Going around of him boxing out and kind of jumping over the guy. Boxing out.

[Dave DeFore]

Whoa, whoa, wait. You mean Keonte George wearing Jokic as a backpack isn't a foul on Keonte George? Is that what. Is that what you're saying? Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

Insane, man. Insane. It just. It feels like it's this egregious. And, you know, obviously, it's coming off the heels of a very, very physical OKC versus Nuggets game and OKC and obviously Minnesota. It just feels like the all eyes are on Jokic and his ability to maybe flop throughout games. And this was like, the worst version we've seen. If you have a chance, folks, and you want to just watch, like, flopping as an art form, I would go and watch this Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz game because Jokic takes it to another level. Shout out to Keonte George, though. The Jazz are going to be fun next year, Dave.

[Dave DeFore]

They're going to be fun.

[Guest Contributor]

The.

[Dave DeFore]

The sad thing is that the Jazz are actually already good. They've kind of been good all year. Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

They're just.

[Dave DeFore]

They got better at the trade deadline and we don't know it. They're a mystery box right now, as far as I'm concerned. They could come out next year and roll a dud. I don't know nothing. I have nothing to base it on. S. Yeah. Because they refuse to play their best players. Everybody's getting surgery. You know, it's. It's that time of year. Okay, let's move on to a guy who came back. Darius Garland comes back for the Clippers. The Clippers mount a comeback. You know, I dare say the warriors probably need to get Steph Curry back out there at some point if they expect to win any of these games. Although it does feel like they're pretty safely in the play end no matter what. Yeah. The Clippers win. 114, 101. Darius Garland came off the bench in the game, puts up 12 points. He started out a little bit rough, and s. I think one of the things you can point to for Darius Garland, he had five turnovers, and really, I thought he had. He had a couple that he got bailed out on. He looked rusty as far as timing and his handle.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah. Looked like a guy that hadn't played basketball in a while and also looked like a guy that was being thrown into a new team. Right. And figure out what players have specific tendencies, especially as a ball handler, a guy who's such a good playmaker, you could tell some of the passes were off just by timing, of knowing When a guy is shaking to the corner or making the 45 cut and whatever, like, it's just timing for Garland right now. I just like the fact that he played 22 minutes. Truthfully, like the fact that he played and there were no complications with his toes or anything like that. That's a good sign for the Clippers moving forward.

[Dave DeFore]

And hopefully we don't hear something, you know, after the game where he's going to miss more time. That's kind of what he dealt with all year with Cleveland.

[Esperaheni]

I just want to mention Janik Conan.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, there was no way we weren't talking about Yannick Conan, Conan the Barbarian, because as he was incredible, I'll tell you, Xena would be mad at us if we didn't spend a couple minutes on him. You know, look, puts up 11 points, nine rebounds, four blocks. His activity up around the basket, look, you can see where losing Zoo for. For the haul that they got. Yeah. Makes so much sense for them.

[J. King]

Where.

[Dave DeFore]

Where you have this guy waiting in the wings who looks like. I mean, he's not going to be Zubotch necessarily next season, but he has

[Esperaheni]

some Zubots qualities to him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I totally agree. I mean, look, he's very traditional, like rim runner, get to the basket, pick and roll guy. Offensively, we'll see how much he can develop on that end. But defensively, he's a very intriguing big man. Like, he can switch out onto guards, hold his own. He's very good at the pick a roll. And I mean, you know this, but it's really hard to be a big man and a rookie in the NBA and be good on defense. He already has that. And I feel like over the last month or so, every time I've watched the Clippers, he's had moments where, yeah, incredibly timed block shot, great offensive rebound, leaks out in transition. He's a really talented athlete, too. So I'm just, I'm impressed because he's, you know, the Clippers have nailed the draft pick. Shout out to Andrew Schlex, who always

[Dave DeFore]

thinks him on, said they never nail it.

[J. King]

Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

It's early. He has been working with Zubac and Brook Lopez, you know, all season. So I imagine, you know, he's picking up some stuff from them. You know, we'll see. You know, the other thing that, that he has. Right, he can't teach this. Seven feet tall. Seven feet tall.

[Esperaheni]

You're right. Great athlete, especially against the Warriors.

[Dave DeFore]

Absolutely. Yeah. It matters because Brook Lopez and. And Janik Conan Niederhausen made the. The warriors look just like lilac. Yeah. Very small. So anyway, guys, we got J. King after the break. Stick around for that. And he's going to tell us if Jason Tatum's coming back or not. Feels like he is.

[J. King]

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[Dave DeFore]

Well, Giannis came back last night for the Bucks, so we thought we'd get Jay King on to talk about it because, you know, the Celtics have been so good this season. The Bucks stand to look better with Giannis, and the Celtics had other ideas. J. King luckily didn't make the trip for that game. What's up, Jay?

[J. King]

Thank God. Thank God. I watched that from my couch, there are no direct flights from Boston to Milwaukee. At least there weren't today. And so I would have had to fly through like Detroit or something to just go see that despicable basketball game. Shame. That was the Celtics on the second night of a back to back without Jalen Brown, without Namias Kada and they, the Bucks just never had a chance. They let Ugo Gonzalez look like Wilt Chamberlain. They let the Celtics rebound. Yeah, the Bucks are. And Giannis was back like right. That should have been an energizing force on top of having maybe the best player in basketball back on your side. Nope, they stink.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, they were minus 16 in his 25 minutes.

[Esperaheni]

That's what I was going to say. It felt like in the moments where the Bucks were making a quote unquote run, it was when Giannis was off the floor. I mean, I don't think that says much about Giannis, particularly because he's coming back from that five week hiatus. But the Celtics just completely dominated this game and they have this identity that just leans into everything that they want to do on a night to night basis. You take away Jalen Brown from this team and it's Peyton Pritchard and Derek White and to your point, Ugo Gonzalez jumping in for 16 rebounds. I mean you followed this team for a while now. Is this the most fun you've had watching a Celtics team? I mean I've covered outside of maybe

[J. King]

the championship year, I've covered some very good teams, some teams that went on unexpected runs. The 1718 team after Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward got hurt, went to game seven in the Eastern Conference finals. The Isaiah Thomas teams were just kind of like they weren't supposed to get to where they got to. They were number one seed, got to Eastern Conference finals. He was just dynamite every fourth quarter. That said, this is like for fans this is a totally enjoyable experience. It's a bunch of guys playing above what anybody thought they would play at. Jalen Brown has reached another level. All these young guys can really play like. It's not just Ugo who was great tonight. He's barely 20, guarding Giannis while going for 18 and 16. It's Baylor Shireman who started and done a really good job and all of a sudden is like a defensive stopper. Jordan Walsh has had moments. Ron Harper Jr. Is on a two way contract. They plug him in the starting lineup. He's had moments. It's just the mentality of the whole team, it seems is just totally bought in a little crazy like Crashing the offensive glass. Borderline reckless in some ways, but also super polished in other ways that such a young team shouldn't be. Like, they hardly ever turn the ball over. The matchup against Milwaukee, I think it's a great one because Milwaukee doesn't do a lot of the things that win basketball games, right? They turn the ball over. They don't rebound the ball. They. They can. They can really shoot, but other than that, like, they don't do a lot of things that win basketball games. Whereas the Celtics have been great on the margins in a lot of ways. They. They're one of the top five offensive rebounding teams in basketball. They take care of the ball as well as anybody. They have become one of the better defensive rebounding teams in basketball against all odds because they were terrible at that at the beginning of the season. So, yeah, Joe Mazulla has done a great job just sort of formulating an identity for this team. Everyone's bought in, and I think there's a lot more talent than people expected. I thought this would be a really thin team. Instead, it's really deep with options everywhere.

[Dave DeFore]

You think the difference between what we're seeing with the Celtics and what we see with the Bucks is all coaching?

[J. King]

No, no, not at all. I think the Bucks have a lot of guys on their team that are about themselves, that don't really know the game. They added Cam Thomas for whatever reason,

[Dave DeFore]

like, hey, somebody's got to score some points, man.

[J. King]

Yeah, but somebody has to pass the ball. Giannis had already called his team selfish and they were like, ah, let's. Let's go get this 20 point a game scorer who, who was so bad at the other stuff that his other team waived him, even though they're desperate for talent. Go grab him. He'll fit really well with everybody. I just think the Celtics, like, they have a bunch of guys who are willing to play a role, who excel in those roles, who do all the little things, who set screens, who crash the glass, who get deflections, who pick up steals. All their young guys take on the most challenging defensive assignments they have. Like Luca Garza comes in off the bench tonight. He hadn't played in a while because they acquired Vuchovic. And he crashes the glass like no other, plays super hard. They just have guys who are committed and bought in and. And that matters. And I also think, like, a lot of these guys, because they had never gotten opportunities, their talent wasn't understood. But like, Hugo Gonzalez is. He's a talented kid.

[Dave DeFore]

He can really play.

[J. King]

Yeah, he can really.

[Dave DeFore]

I've got. I've got a little group chat, and they call him Spanish Dennis Rodman.

[J. King]

Spanish Dennis Rodman. I don't know about that one. But. But the dude. The dude plays so hard, and he just has a feel for everything. And for. For his age, he's just very physically advanced, like, super strong. He's. They have him guard Giannis. They've had him, guard Carl Towns in the past. So, yeah, I don't think it's just coaching at all. I think coaching is part of it. I think Joe Missoula has had a great vision for this team, and sort of. They're in his mentality, his mindset, but I think the types of players they have, the competitors that they have, like, you need that. And I don't think Milwaukee did a good job targeting guys who are willing to fit into a team concept and want to win at all costs.

[Esperaheni]

It's a really great point because if you think about Milwaukee over the past five or six seasons with Giannis, when they have had a draft pick, it's been in and around the same spot where the Celtics have had a draft pick. Right. And you look now, and of course, Jordan Walsh has been a surprising story for this team. Baylor Shireman has been a great story for this team. Ugo Gonzalez, like you said, like, carving out a role for himself. So it's just. It's not only coaching. It's not just identity, it's also the front office maximizing and figuring out, like, what this roster specifically for this season needed. The other aspect to this is the return or the potential return of Jason Tatum, because I think that's what's on the minds of basically every Celtics fan at this point. There was an expectation that Tatum might come back this previous weekend. That didn't happen. Do you have a feel as to, like, when he'll come back and. And when he does or if he does, what kind of role he ends up playing on the Celtics team?

[J. King]

Look, there are the. He's come out with a documentary with. With. They're calling them Minisodes. There are. I was.

[Dave DeFore]

Can you say that word again for me, Jay?

[J. King]

Minisodes.

[Guest Contributor]

Thank you.

[J. King]

It sounds like people from Minnesota. Oh, those damn Minnesotes. There are, like, I was just driving today, and there are billboards saying back to zero with Jason Tatum's face on them. Okay. If he's not coming back, then all this stuff would. Would seem pretty strange.

[Dave DeFore]

It's quite a pump fake.

[J. King]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

All right, so we're looking for Friday night, the Mavericks, they're, they're at the Garden. I mean it's on espn. Yep.

[J. King]

Feels.

[Dave DeFore]

Feels like it's going to be Friday.

[J. King]

Come on. He has said that it will be at home if he does come back this season. And if you look at the schedule, Wednesday against Charlotte is at home. Friday against Dallas is at home. Then they have three super tough road games in Cleveland, OKC and San Antonio. So if he does come back, he'll set himself up to have quite a test right away. Yeah, if, if he doesn't come back before that trip. The next home game is March 14th against the Wizards. So.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay, so what have you heard about Tatum in these scrimmages? Because, you know, we've heard very generic stuff. I'm sure you've heard a lot more. What can you share?

[J. King]

They've been pretty type tight lipped about it. Players have said he's looked good, but yeah, it's been pretty tight lipped. Especially Joe Missoula has been like we asked Joe, literally this was like 5 or 10 minutes before practice started. If Jason was practicing one day and he said, I'm not sure. We haven't created a practice plan yet. Yeah, yeah, Joe. Yeah, that sounds realistic. You have no idea whether your first team all NBA player was going to practice today. He was asked again the next night. Literally just stared at the person who asked the question. Did not say a word.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah, that was awesome. I love that.

[J. King]

So. So Joe, Joe has been pretty tight lipped about it. That said, like the things they will talk about. He's been super diligent at approaching the rehab he has had. It's been a real challenge mentally for him and he's talked about that, how he's. He's even had concerns about how he's going to fit back into the team. I think. I'm sure that's just all part of it, especially for a guy like Tatum who's never had a significant injury in his life. Now he has what could be the toughest in basketball. And so he's just kind of having to grapple with that. I'm sure he's starting to face the reality that maybe I won't be 100% back to myself when I get back on that court and.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[J. King]

And I think, you know, to expect to be 100% even if you take another six months, another year, like that's unrealistic. I know we've seen it before sort of with Kevin Durant. He came back and was unbelievable the year that he came back. But for the most Part like you come back, you're gonna have to deal with Rust, you're not going to feel totally like yourself right away. And that's okay. And that's just something that he's gonna have to deal with. That they're gonna have to deal with. I would assume, if not, he's Superman and. Yeah, and, and they'll benefit from that. But, but you have to expect like there will be some sort of feeling out process for him to just get, get closer to himself and see what he's capable of physically and, and see where he fits into this Celtics team that, that's found an identity without him.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah, I think it's, you know, it's a big test also for the rest of the team because they have to reincorporate this guy. And I think it's a very interesting moment for Joe Missoula, who had a lot of questions about. Most people had a lot of questions about him. Postseason last year. He comes into this year, obviously has an incredible season. Do you think Missoula is the coach of the year right now?

[J. King]

I would put him up there with, with anyone for sure because for, for a number of reasons. But like they lost a ton. It wasn't just Jayson Tatum, it was Al Horford, Drew Holiday, Christophs Porzingis, Luke Cornett. They lost more than half of their rotation. They had zero big men with legitimate NBA experience. The Miaskeda was their fourth string center last year. Luca Garza barely played at all in Minnesota. That was their starting front court. Their, their first two centers at the beginning of this season. Then, you know, you have these young wings. You don't know if any of them can play. Right.

[Dave DeFore]

Turns out can't shoot.

[J. King]

Turns out they are not yet.

[Dave DeFore]

Right?

[J. King]

They're not. None of them are great shooters. They, they brought in Anthony Simons and it was pretty clear right from the start that they were going to consider trading him. So that was a delicate issue. You and he did a great job of buying in and, and being a part of the program and all that, but you have to deal with that. You have to coach him and deal with his defensive limitations and then you have to decide who do I play? And I just think. And you have to do all that while also battling against the reality that the returners are probably like, what the hell, right? We won a championship two years ago. Now we barely recognize half the guys on this team. We're going to be playing with 19 and 20 year olds who have never played real NBA minutes. And so he's had to balance a lot of factors. He's had to mold a lot of young guys who had never played before in the NBA. He's had to teach them to. To get up to the Celtics level. And then he's found new ways to win, too. Like, he. He decided this team has to be great at offensive rebounding. They're fifth in offensive rebound rate. Their wings crash. Crash the glass like no other wings do. And he's set the tone for that from the start. Like, he. He's. He's yanked guys in and out of the lineup when they make mistakes. He's kept guys on edge like that all year long. I think they have that mentality that they have to go to the glass or else they'll come out. And. And so he's just sort of set the tone for that. But he's done that without losing their ability to take care of the ball, which has always been a huge strength for them. Yeah, you lose all that, and you're still. I think they're second in turnover rate. It's. It's. It's crazy what. What they've done and how successful they've been. They have the best offense in the league after losing all that we just discussed without Jason Tatum playing a minute man.

[Esperaheni]

And they, over the last month, have the best defense in the league, which I think is a huge step for this team. And they're like, chances in the postseason this year.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, we. I feel like in the preview, we. We talked about Nemias Keita as. Oh, is he going to be their starting center? Well, that's not going to be great. And look at the development year he's had. I mean, it's. It's pretty incredible story. I do want to swing it to Charlotte for a minute because Charles Lee was in Boston for. For a while, and I mean, coach under Missoula. I know. I know that you and Lamelo Ball, like, you have an interesting sort of relationship. Right. How do you feel about what. What Charles Lee has done down there? And how much of Missoula do you see in that?

[J. King]

So the. The part of Missoula I see in them is they're great around the margins. Like. Like they do things right. They operate right. They put up a ton of threes. Like, they're. They're about the possession game. And. And I just think they needed just somebody to come in there and be diligent and bring an enthusiasm and bring life to that organization. When he got there, it was just kind of blah. And I actually think Borrego did a pretty good job for a while, but it was like there was limited success. The guys that were there and the most talented guys needed better habits. And so you have to every day beyond them about habits without dragging things down while. While still keeping the enthusiasm high. And adding conanipple just was such a big impact move that. That dude has been ridiculous this year. Like what. What rookie comes in and is that efficient? Is. Is that polished? Is that ready to.

[Dave DeFore]

He can shoot every ball like day one.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

He can do the. He can do the backwards step. He can sidestep, he can. He can come off a flare. I mean it's really impressive.

[J. King]

What's impressive to me is like he just makes the right reads throughout it. Like if he sets a screen and it. He should slip it, he slips it. If he sets the screen and his guy leaves him, like he's ready for that. Like he's. No matter what the defense does, he seems to read it correctly, which is so rare for a kid his age. Yeah, they're great to watch. Diabate. Don't forget about him. Just an absolute animal on the glass. He. He moves his feet like, like crazy. Like even dating back to Michigan, I was like there's sort of the outline of a decent player there, but he had such a long way to go and, and now he's. He's found a way and he's. He's huge for them and so I don't think his contributions should get overlooked either. Like I talked about the possession game earlier. His work on the offensive glass is a huge reason why they're able to. To be one of those teams that, that does win the possession game regularly.

[Dave DeFore]

And one other guy. You want, you don't want to say anything about how awesome Lamello Ball's been. No.

[J. King]

Melo. Yeah, I as. As you noted, there have been some. Some grouped chat text in the past about Lamelo's unseriousness and I don't know if he.

[Dave DeFore]

We're not going to talk about his driving.

[J. King]

I don't know.

[Dave DeFore]

Except for on the basketball court.

[J. King]

The most serious guy yet. But, but man, he can really play and I think just having more talent around him, he's the type of guy, he does get the ball moving, he finds open guys. There's just a life to them and a synergy to that team. All their best players just fit really well together. And for a group of young guys, I just feel like that's so rare to where you. You find five young guys like their starting lineup that just meshes Together so well has absolutely dusted all the competition when they've been on the court together. And it's a really good thing in Charlotte right now.

[Dave DeFore]

This is still.

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[Dave DeFore]

Amazing thing. All right, before we get out of here, I'm going to ask you about the playoffs. I mean, look, we're going to just throw the Jason Tatum questions out the window for this. What are the. What is the most likely outcome for the Celtics once we hit the playoffs?

[J. King]

I. Anything is. Is possible.

[Dave DeFore]

Do you think this could be a finals team? I mean, it is the East.

[J. King]

Yeah, it is the East. Like you said, like, could they beat Detroit? I wouldn't favor them against Detroit. They could be Detroit. Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Like, yeah, Detroit sometimes can't score.

[J. King]

Yeah. Could they beat New York? Like, I wouldn't favor them against New York because of what New York did last season. But also, yeah, New York has flaws and sometimes they seem to hate each other. So yeah, this. This Celtics team knows what it is. They get contributions from everybody. Like you said, they've had the top ranked defense for a while now, basically ever since trading Anthony Simons. And I don't want to put it on Simons because he competed, he tried to fit in, but now those minutes are going to the Energy wings, who are 6, 7 and take on the top defensive assignments and rack up steals and take charges and rebound and. And changing from a pretty slender point guard who wasn't like, physically strong enough to handle certain things to Ugo, Gonzalez, Baylor, Shireman, Jordan Walsh, the guys who are getting those minutes now, like, that's. That's a huge change. And obviously when. Whenever Tatum comes back, it's going to be great for the Celtics in so many ways. Like, that dude amplifies everything you do. He can fit into however you want to play.

[Esperaheni]

Just having his presence on the floor.

[J. King]

He can post up, he can screen, he can run on the ball, he can guard bigs, he can guard point guards. He can do whatever you need him to do. The one drawback to him coming back, I think, and it's not really a drawback because you'll be playing Jason Tatum.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[J. King]

But it will. It will hurt the Celtics to have to take away minutes from some of those. Those younger guys because, yeah, they're really taking advantage of their opportunities right now. They're proving that they're capable. And once Tatum comes back, there's just not going to be enough minutes on the wing for everybody. And I want to see how. How Joe Missoula approaches that, and I don't think it will be the same guy every night. But. But out of Shireman, Gonzalez, Walsh, even Harper Jr. Like who. Who's going to get those opportunities and who's going to stay on the court?

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, even again, just having Tatum out there is somebody you have to think about. He still says Tatum on the back of the jersey. Shout out to Zena. Who brought that up? Jay, thanks for hanging out man. I'll let you finish that text. Thanks to J. King guys. Go and read them at the Athletic. Thanks to Esperahenny for hanging out. I'm Dave defore. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for hanging out with us.

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