5 Celtics Who Must Step Up to Save Boston's Season After Jayson Tatum Injury

After entering their Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Knicks as heavy favorites, the Boston Celtics now find themselves, incredibly, one loss from elimination.

The defending champions didn’t blow a 20-point lead this time—just a 14-point one—before falling 121-113 at Madison Square Garden.

As if the loss weren’t bad enough, it appears they’ll be without Jayson Tatum for the foreseeable future. Tatum, who dropped 42 points in a brilliant performance, suffered a leg injury late in the fourth quarter.

Given how expensive this roster is, Monday night may go down as the moment this would-be dynasty unraveled. If the Celtics want to stave off elimination, they’ll need a miracle—and it starts with the following five individuals stepping up.

Jaylen Brown

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On paper, Brown’s Game 4 numbers—20 points and seven rebounds—look fine. But this marked his fourth straight inefficient shooting night, marred by four turnovers and a handful of careless fouls.

Brown didn’t have nearly the same level of success as he did in the series’ first three games playing bully-ball in the mid-range and the paint. He scored just four points in the fourth quarter, and through four games against the Knicks, he’s shooting just 38 percent.

Even with a healthy Tatum, Boston would need more from Brown. Now, with Tatum likely done, Brown catching fire is Boston’s only hope.

Kristaps Porzingis

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To be fair, Porzingis clearly isn’t right, as whatever illness he’s dealing with has sapped his energy. He looked sluggish throughout Game 4.

Still, the Celtics need far more from him if they hope to make this a series. He finished with just seven points and four rebounds in 24 minutes—and even that understates his struggles. He missed open layups and was repeatedly targeted by Jalen Brunson on defense. At times, he looked unplayable.

One example: The Knicks grabbed 13 offensive rebounds Monday, compared to the Celtics’ seven, and they were able to attempt 13 more shots than Boston. Most of that was due to Mitchell Robinson, who Porzingis was unable to keep off the glass.

Porzingis has logged about 60 minutes in this series and scored only 20 points. His rim protection, floor spacing and mismatch-punishing ability were pivotal to Boston’s Finals run last year. He’s unlikely to rediscover that form now—but the Celtics won’t be able to extend this series without getting more from their center.

Jrue Holiday

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Holiday played 34 minutes in Game 4. You’d be forgiven for not noticing. He attempted just four shots, hit two, and he finished with four points and two assists. It was a strange performance. 

Holiday may be on the floor for his defense, but that doesn’t mean he can be invisible on the offensive end of the floor. For the first time in his career, the 34-year-old looks old.

It’s one thing to miss shots. To disappear is another.

The Celtics’ offense is at its best when all five players are aggressively attacking the rim, spraying the ball out to open shooters and scrambling opposing defenses. It’s hard to do that when one player—Holiday in this case—removes himself from the action.

Payton Pritchard

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Pritchard has played well this series, but, with Tatum out, the Celtics are going to need multiple players to fill the void.

Pritchard is one of the few on their roster capable of doubling his scoring output. He’s one of the few reserves in the league capable of changing games. He’s a player who not only isn’t afraid of big moments, but seems to relish them.

His relentlessness could also be exactly what the Celtics need to kickstart their offense and drive-and-kick actions. 

Joe Mazzulla

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The NBA’s favorite lightning rod will be back under the microscope if Boston falls in Game 5—and justifiably so. When a team blows multiple double-digit leads in a single series, the coach is going to face heat.

Is there more he could be doing? Some of the Celtics' struggles do seem to be the result of poor shooting luck. They’ve missed a ton of open looks from deep, after all. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Too many of their possessions devolve into iso ball; too many of their jumpers come off one-on-one moves as opposed to aggressive drive-and-kick sequences.

Tatum was able to bail the Celtics out of multiple poor possessions in Game 4. With him out, it’s even more crucial that the Celtics rediscover their offensive flow. 

You could also make an argument that the Celtics should have done more to get the ball out of Jalen Brunson’s hands in Game 4. Brunson finished with 39 points, 26 of which came in the second half.

Maybe there was nothing that Mazzulla could have done to slow him from the sidelines. But letting him go after Porzingis over and over was a mistake. 

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Yaron Weitzman is an award-winning NBA writer and the author of Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports. Follow him on X at @YaronWeitzman and on Bluesky at @yaronweitzman.bsky.social.