Which year's playoffs should we be targeting?

[djFan71]

Simple poll. Which season's playoffs is the first one we should be targeting for Tatum to be back to at least All Star level and hope to be a contender in?

[ThePigeon]

All of them
All the time
We are championship caliber team

[playa-hater]

If Tatum does indeed return after the Allstar break, My guess would be to make a deep playoff run. And I for one think JT really wants to return early. Not saying he should, but the combination of Medical advancements+ JT being JT = a early return IMO.

Basically I think Brad will try to cut salary and retool all at once.

[redslastlaugh]

I think next year (2026) is a write off, most important thing is not rush a return and suffer a Tatum health setback
2027 playoffs, JT may be still ramping up. JT is not Gordon Haywood, but Haywood's injury took a missed season plus another season before he even started to resemble the player he had been.

I would want to focus on the 2028-2030 window. But my thinking is, assuming Tatum comes back fully, I'd be focused on building the team around him. To me that's looking at the roster now around JT: Brown, White, Holiday, Porzingis, Horford, Pritchard, Kornet, & Hauser ... and deciding who among these guys are good bets two-three-four seasons from now.

[brackdan70]

All of the above.

[brackdan70]

Next year is wishful thinking that he is back to star level, but if he is able to play he will still hell and the Cs will be good.
26/27 is the real target imo to make another run for the gold. What ever happens next year (25/26) will be fun

[islandkid12]

Like others have said, 2026 is a throw away, essentially just a bridge year. 26-27 is when I expect us to be back in championship pedigree. I'm thinking we just use next year to ramp up any young guys, new role players and get ready for a push when JT is back for the following year

[Hal14]

Like others have said, 2026 is a throw away, essentially just a bridge year. 26-27 is when I expect us to be back in championship pedigree. I'm thinking we just use next year to ramp up any young guys, new role players and get ready for a push when JT is back for the following year

Exactly

[djFan71]

Like others have said, 2026 is a throw away, essentially just a bridge year. 26-27 is when I expect us to be back in championship pedigree. I'm thinking we just use next year to ramp up any young guys, new role players and get ready for a push when JT is back for the following year

Exactly

Yep, that's my thoughts as well, but didn't want to bias the poll from the start. I've seen a few people say 27-28 to really expect Tatum to be back, so wanted to see how prevalent that notion was. 1 vote, but not a huge sample size with only 12 votes overall.

If anything to me, the caveat is that it's 26 playoffs if the team is doing better than expected come March/April. If they're sitting 4-6 range, then I wouldn't be shocked if JT comes back. If they're in play-in range, then I don't think he does. But you don't PLAN to have him back for 26, you just consider it a nice side benefit if the work you do for 27 playoffs pays off early.

[islandkid12]

Like others have said, 2026 is a throw away, essentially just a bridge year. 26-27 is when I expect us to be back in championship pedigree. I'm thinking we just use next year to ramp up any young guys, new role players and get ready for a push when JT is back for the following year

Exactly

Yep, that's my thoughts as well, but didn't want to bias the poll from the start. I've seen a few people say 27-28 to really expect Tatum to be back, so wanted to see how prevalent that notion was. 1 vote, but not a huge sample size with only 12 votes overall.

If anything to me, the caveat is that it's 26 playoffs if the team is doing better than expected come March/April. If they're sitting 4-6 range, then I wouldn't be shocked if JT comes back. If they're in play-in range, then I don't think he does. But you don't PLAN to have him back for 26, you just consider it a nice side benefit if the work you do for 27 playoffs pays off early.

Ugh damn 27-28 would be toughhh. I think our med staff can get him ready for Fall 2026. ~18 months of recovery

And yeah next year will be interesting. I almost don't even care if it's a Dwhite and JB load management year, win 40 some odd games and crack the play-in or just miss the playoffs. We'd get a decent pick around 13-17 for that draft too. Anything besides full tanking, I'd be okay with.

[hugepatsfan]

Tatum will either be out or unsuitable to lead us anywhere we wanna go for the 2026 playoffs. Anything else is kind of based on blind optimism only.

By the 2027 playoffs, Tatum should be rounding back into whatever form he's going to get to. Team should expect they have a legit shot here. By 2028, they should definitely expect that. Now maybe Tatum has a worse recovery than usual and we don't have a legit shot either year, but team should plan as they do.

The basketball people and the financial people need to have total alignment. Stevens needs to have a real sense of what spending can be year to year and from there he has to decide how to best operate. If ownership is going to be really frugal then he might want to reset repeater rates these next two years that way he can stretch luxury tax dollars further after that to compensate. The goal is to be able to build a team that has enough to win another title, not just stay competitive year to year. That might make it best to not go all the way in on 2027.

[Parasite]

‘27. If Brad plays his cards right I fully expect that we will be among the top 2 or 3 teams in the East.

[chrisab123]

So…the team has said that he’s on target and on schedule yet we’re working ourselves into thinking next year is a bridge year so let’s tank because people have a prospect fetish.

Like it’s all good but let’s be real, they aren’t tanking.

[chrisab123]

Tatum will either be out or unsuitable to lead us anywhere we wanna go for the 2026 playoffs. Anything else is kind of based on blind optimism only.

By the 2027 playoffs, Tatum should be rounding back into whatever form he's going to get to. Team should expect they have a legit shot here. By 2028, they should definitely expect that. Now maybe Tatum has a worse recovery than usual and we don't have a legit shot either year, but team should plan as they do.

The basketball people and the financial people need to have total alignment. Stevens needs to have a real sense of what spending can be year to year and from there he has to decide how to best operate. If ownership is going to be really frugal then he might want to reset repeater rates these next two years that way he can stretch luxury tax dollars further after that to compensate. The goal is to be able to build a team that has enough to win another title, not just stay competitive year to year. That might make it best to not go all the way in on 2027.

If they reset for two years, Tatum is asking out. Which again some posters here would encourage him to do so. The only way you’re getting fully under is trading everyone but Tatum for peanuts and picks in the hope that you become to the OKC Thunder in 2030. Which means you’re also not going to have Tatum. So by that time maybe you get guys like Tatum or Brown in the top 3.

[cl2117]

I don't think we should write off next year entirely but we also shouldn't force things either. We're kind of set up perfectly to slow play things.

I don't know anything about JB's recovery time for his off-season knee surgery but it gives the Celtics the perfect cover to roll out their B squad to start the season and just see what happens. Let him take the start of the season off, slowly work him back in and in the meantime use all these extra minutes to develop the likes of Baylor, Walsh, Queta, Davison and our draft picks, while also showcasing whatever mix of Hauser/veterans we still have after any Jrue/KP trades.

Give it until Christmas and re-assess what you want to do. By then you've kicked the tires on any new guys on the roster, you should have a better idea about your fringe rotation guys and depending on whether you're in contention for the lottery or the play-in you can adjust accordingly.

I'm not rushing Tatum back but I see no problem with playing him once he's fully healthy and had enough of a tune up. Most likely that puts him out all season but if he's cleared by the Dr's and has a chance to play a couple non-playoff games to get his sea legs, I'd not look a gift horse in the mouth if we're not mathematically eliminated. The East is weak, if things play out well for us and any of our non-core guys make a leap or we hit paydirt with a random vet we get back in a KP/Jrue trade we could have the kind of firepower to make a cinderella run with Tatum even at 75%.

By that same token, if we're on the path to get a top 10 pick and/or taken a bigger step back than expected post KP and/or Jrue trades, I don't care how healthy Tatum is I'm sending him to Mexico until after the 2026 draft and he can take JB and Derrick with him.

Honestly I think deep down I'm secretly hoping it's a down year. Kind of like the Pats last season where there were a lot of competitive games that they lost where you left feeling oddly encouraged because of how some of the young talent played. That leads to a top pick and all of a sudden we're back in business either with a blue chip trade piece or a cost-controlled high upside guy to add to our expensive core. I know that means losing at something like a 3 to 1 clip next year but if we're doing it while playing the young kids and keeping our better guys on ice, I'm kind of ok with it.

Imagine if we're the Mavs next draft? We'd be flying high. But I'd also take getting to be a somewhat underdog fighting our way in the playoffs with little to no expectations. Can't really lose.

[phincsfan]

If Joe is as good as many believe he should be able to get this roster even minus Jrue and Porzingis to the playoffs.

If it's true that he said he hates rookies that's a bunch of crap. He better get used to coaching up young guys like a bunch of coaches did this season if they want to make the playoffs.

Also, making the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed does a few things.

-Makes the investors happy getting some playoff revenue
-Makes fans look forward to some playoff action
-Gets the C's a draft pick in the mid teens to keep building around the core

[Tyakack]

So…the team has said that he’s on target and on schedule yet we’re working ourselves into thinking next year is a bridge year so let’s tank because people have a prospect fetish.

Like it’s all good but let’s be real, they aren’t tanking.

Do you know what that means for the kind of injury Tatum has? I don't think you are fully grasping how serious it is and how long recovery takes. Even if everything goes smoothly it's going to take some real time for Tatum to be Tatum again. That is assuming he ever becomes Tatum again.

I don't think they will "tank" personally. They will try to remain competitive. If this is what you mean then I agree.

[hugepatsfan]

Tatum will either be out or unsuitable to lead us anywhere we wanna go for the 2026 playoffs. Anything else is kind of based on blind optimism only.

By the 2027 playoffs, Tatum should be rounding back into whatever form he's going to get to. Team should expect they have a legit shot here. By 2028, they should definitely expect that. Now maybe Tatum has a worse recovery than usual and we don't have a legit shot either year, but team should plan as they do.

The basketball people and the financial people need to have total alignment. Stevens needs to have a real sense of what spending can be year to year and from there he has to decide how to best operate. If ownership is going to be really frugal then he might want to reset repeater rates these next two years that way he can stretch luxury tax dollars further after that to compensate. The goal is to be able to build a team that has enough to win another title, not just stay competitive year to year. That might make it best to not go all the way in on 2027.

If they reset for two years, Tatum is asking out. Which again some posters here would encourage him to do so. The only way you’re getting fully under is trading everyone but Tatum for peanuts and picks in the hope that you become to the OKC Thunder in 2030. Which means you’re also not going to have Tatum. So by that time maybe you get guys like Tatum or Brown in the top 3.

That's overdramatic because you're wrong on what they have to give up to reset the tax. They can reset the tax and keep Brown/White/Pritchard and maaaaaaaybe Hauser. It just means that instead of trying to trade for good, young players now, they have to take back slop like Klay Thompson/Jared Vanderbilt types and dump all the decent pieces they get for Jrue/KP/maybe Hauser into TPEs next year. Let other teams have the good part of the return while we take the multi year filler salary on less desirable players. And then as those deals come close to expiring we attach picks to them to trade for better players.

[ryan in Maine]

Without thinking -- 2027. 2026 is way too much pressure.

[cloverleaf]

ABC: Always be closing.