The Time Has Come For Jayson Tatum To Save Boston Sports

Jesse D. Garrabrant. Getty Images.

For the first time in what feels like forever, the newer generation of Boston sports fans is getting a little taste of what life was like for those of us who were around well before the Patriots' first Super Bowl and the city officially became The City of Champions. Over the last 25 or so years, nobody has had it better. There are fans nowadays who don't know a life in which the Boston teams weren't competing for and winning championships. For nearly half of my life, it was the exact opposite. I could only dream about what it would be like for my favorite teams to actually be good and for them to win like I would hear stories about from the older generations. 

Growing up, I watched a Patriots team that was a combined 95-128 before they broke through in 2001. I was molded by what is undeniably the darkest and worst stretch in Boston Celtics franchise history (Rick Pitino Era), where I never saw them win more than 36 games, and my formative years consisted of watching a team that went 533-667 (.444) and missed the playoffs completely a total of 9 times. The Sox were dealing with the Curse Of The Bambino for most of those years, and while I'm not exactly a hockey guy, even the Bruins weren't doing much. Long before Boston was the City of Champions, for the majority of my life they were considered the City of Losers. 

If we fast-forward to 2026 and take a look around, the future certainly has its fair share of questions. On the football side, it's impossible not to at least be a little worried about what we're seeing from Drake Maye, even if you also acknowledge there's more to his struggles than just his individual play. Coming off the season he had last year and how he was touted as the next great franchise player and superstar Boston athlete, what we've seen so far is alarming. On the baseball side, Roman Anthony was supposed to be that guy, and well, that hasn't exactly worked out either. I know the Bruins still have Pasta, but if we're talking about the next group of "young" superstars to carry Boston sports, he's 30 so I rule him out for this exercise. 

The good news is that at a time when things may look bleak for the future of Boston sports, there is one man who can save us all

NBA Champion Jayson Tatum. 

If Drake Maye and Roman Anthony aren't going to be the superstars we thought they were destined to be, then it's up to the superstar we know in Jayson Tatum to put the city on his back (again). Given the moves this summer, he has complete control and has been given the keys to the franchise. The Celts success and future (and potentially the future of Boston sports) now directly depend on Jayson Tatum. Thankfully, it sure sounds like we're about to get the best version of Tatum to date

which is pretty exciting given that the versions we've already seen are one of the best basketball players on planet Earth. If anyone is capable of saving us all from the current hell we're experiencing, it's Jayson Tatum. 

And while some out there may think the Celts enter this upcoming season in a tough spot following their big trade earlier this summer, they are sadly mistaken. This team is going to be awesome. Their roster this year has improved over the singular star roster we saw enter last season, and that team won 56 games while being atop the league in offense, defense, net rating etc. All of the areas they were awesome in last season, they got even better in this year. Some of the areas they struggled in are now also improved. To the non-ball knowers I get why you may not feel this way or understand how that could be possible after the trade, but barring major injury issues, there's no reason why this group shouldn't once again win between 50-55 games and be a top seed/top offense/top defense. 

I'd also make the case that it's the Celts who are probably closest to winning a title in their respective sport if we look at the Big 4, especially if Maye's regression is real. So, if the Celts are going to once again reach the top of the mountain, it's going to be because of Jayson Tatum. In some ways, he may be our only hope. 

What I do know is that a fully healthy Jayson Tatum can do it, because we've seen it. 

He is the hero that Boston sports deserves, and unlike Batman, they absolutely need that hero right now.