Jaylen Brown Explains Viral Photo Comparing Celtics Stats Amid Jayson Tatum Achilles Injury

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown provided some clarification regarding the social media post he previously shared comparing the Celtics' production this season compared to last season.

"We were supposed to be tanking, that was the talk," Brown told CelticsBlog's Noa Dalzell. "To be in the top five teams in the league? I'm proud of that. I'm extremely proud. Ain't nobody can tell me nothing."

"Everybody was calling it a gap year," he added. "How do you go from a gap year to top five in the East? That's a big jump. That's not a small jump. People want to skip over that. I'm not gonna let you skip over it. That is a big deal."

On Thursday, Brown shared a post examining the statistical similarities between the 2024-25 Celtics and their 2025-26 squad. Boston has operated without Jayson Tatum this year as he continues his recovery from a ruptured Achilles.

Tatum suffered the injury during the second round of the playoffs in May 2025.

Boston parted ways with several key contributors from its 2024 championship-winning team during the 2025 offseason, trading Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. Al Horford also departed in free agency.

While the Celtics entered their 2025-26 campaign with low expectations compared to past years, they currently sit at No. 2 in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 35-19.

"The thing I posted, that was about celebrating our group," Brown told Dalzell. "People make it seem like it was about me, because that's what people wanted it to be about. But in reality, I'm just so proud of our group. I'm extremely proud."

Brown has stepped up in Tatum's absence, averaging a career-high 29.3 points and 4.7 assists per game on 48.3/34.8/77.5 shooting splits.

He explained that he's also been supportive of Tatum's progress in his recovery.

"If you hear me talk about anything in my most recent streams, I mentioned how proud I am of my team, I mentioned how proud I am of JT's progression," Brown said. "It's all that type of stuff."

With Tatum's potential return this season still up in the air, the Celtics remain poised to secure their 12th consecutive playoff appearance largely due to the efforts of Brown.