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Jayson Tatum reacts during a Boston Celtics game. His message following Donte DiVincenzo’s injury drew a strong reaction from Timberwolves coach Chris Finch.
The Boston Celtics dropped Games 5 and 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers and will now need to win Game 7 on Saturday to prevail in the NBA playoffs. The one factor working in Boston’s favor is that Jayson Tatum is 5-2 in his career in Game 7s and has delivered some iconic performances under the brightest of lights.
As the C’s prepare for Game 7, they have reason to celebrate another bit of Tatum news. The NBA announced this week that Tatum received 27 first-place votes and finished seventh in the final tally for the 2025-26 NBA Teammate of the Year award.
Although Tatum finished seventh overall, he received the fifth-most first-place votes, behind only winner DeAndre Jordan, Jeff Green, Garrett Temple and Jalen Brunson.
Jayson Tatum: Impeccable Teammate
The NBA’s announcement is a testament to Tatum’s positive influence on the Celtics, even as the six-time All-Star missed the first 62 games of the season after sustaining an Achilles tear in the playoffs last year.
Per multiple Celtics players, Tatum served as an assistant coach, motivator and locker room leader even when he was sidelined with a devastating injury. He reportedly attended team meetings and film sessions, while also traveling to away games — duties he was not obligated to fulfill. His active presence was deeply appreciated by his teammates, with Jaylen Brown highlighting how other superstar players weren’t traveling with their teams during their respective Achilles recoveries.
“A lot of guys that know they got an extended amount of time, they’re going to separate themselves mentally for a little bit or whatever,” Brown said lasst November. “He’s been there. He’s been like an extra coach, in a sense. So it’s been kind of cool to see.”
“He’s been super active and he’s been around. It’s been dope to see. He’s been engaged and been on the majority of every flight, almost every film session. So that level of dedication, you can tell he’s eager to get back.”
Celtics vs Sixers Game 7
Derrick White joked that a sidelined Tatum had become a jokester in the locker room.
“He’s just annoying me,” White said of Tatum’s role during his injury absence.
“No, obviously a great basketball mind. So just there, supporting us, telling us what he sees, encouraging us, just a bunch of other things throughout the game. So it’s always great to have something like that.”
Tatum’s positive influence helped the Celtics finish with a 56-26 record after they were widely predicted to endure a gap year and possibly miss the playoffs.
The Celtics will need another vintage Jayson Tatum Game 7 performance to set up a second-round series against the New York Knicks.
Joe Mazzulla’s team suffered a 103-96 loss to the Sixers in Game 6 as Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points and Joel Embiid flirted with a triple-double. Despite the loss, the Celtics enter Game 7 as massive -8.5-point favorites.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
