Everyone will have to step up for the Celtics to save their season. But Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Payton Pritchard top the list.
The Celtics’ season — and this current era of Boston basketball — began to be eulogized moments after Jayson Tatum was carried off the floor by general manager Brad Stevens and trainer Nick Sang on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
After undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon, the NBA’s most durable superstar now faces a long journey toward
But the Celtics’ season isn’t over, at least not yet.
Though they face a 3-1 series deficit against the Knicks, there’s basketball still to be played at TD Garden.
“We have the talent,” Kristaps Porzingis said after Game 4. “We have a lot of talent, even with JT out.”
The Celtics host the Knicks for a must-win Game 5 on Wednesday night. They’re favored to win that game (according to the betting odds), but they’ve been favored to win every game this series, and have lost three of four.
Kristaps Porzingis will have to play better, or Joe Mazzulla should lean on Luke Kornet
Porzingis has struggled massively this postseason, averaging 8.9 points per game on 33.3% shooting, including 13.6% from three.
Against the Knicks, he’s been limited by the after-effects of a viral illness that held him out of 11 regular-season games. While he returned to the lineup in mid-March, he experienced what he described as a massive crash ahead of the opening game against the Knicks.
But on Monday, Porzingis said he felt better.
“I felt decent, honestly,” he said. “Just everything — just my energy, I was a bit more uplifted, and just — maybe didn’t have my best game anyway — but energy was good, and I felt I could go a bit more up and down. So that’s positive.”
Kristaps Porzingis on how he felt tonight:
“Today was the first day I felt decent, honestly. Just everything, my energy. I was a bit more uplifted.” pic.twitter.com/sBCKsSOu25
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) May 13, 2025
Still, Porzingis tallied only 7 points and 4 rebounds in 24 minutes.
If Porzingis can go, the Celtics will need him to be his regular-season self, not the more limited version of him that we’ve seen these playoffs.
Defensive rebounding will be key; as a team, the Celtics secured 7 rebounds in Game 4, 6 fewer than the Knicks. And, Porzingis has struggled on the glass.
Luke Kornet has played more limited in this series, but if Porzingis is compromised, it may be time to turn to another backup big.
More Payton Pritchard minutes and shot attempts
Payton Pritchard has been one of the Celtics’ most efficient players these playoffs — he’s averaging 11.4 points per game on 47.2% shooting, including 42.9% from three. Of the Celtics’ four double-digit scorers, Pritchard has been the most efficient throughout these playoffs.
Still, he’s been somewhat underutilized against New York. The Celtics’ Sixth Man of the Year has played 24 minutes or fewer in every game this series except for Game 3. In that game, Pritchard set a playoff career-high 23 points in 35 minutes of play, and the Celtics tallied their only win of the series.
With the Celtics’ leading scorer out for the postseason, it seems inevitable that Pritchard will have to shoulder a larger load offensively for the team to survive.
Jaylen Brown will need to replicate his first-round Game 2 effort
Jayson Tatum was sidelined for one game against the Orlando Magic while dealing with a right wrist bone bruise, and Brown was instrumental in the win, tallying 36 points on 12-19 shooting, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Brown will need to recreate that type of effort in Game 5, and his recent play has been a far departure from that Game 2 performance.
He’s struggled massively in this series — averaging 20.5 points on 37.7% shooting, including 22.6% from three — as well as more turnovers (3.5) than assists (3.3).
Though Brown said ahead of the series he’s nearing 100%, there have been many moments throughout these past few weeks where Brown has appeared to be in pain, and opted for a quick layup instead of what would normally be a dunk.
He struggled against the Knicks’ defense so far in this series, and will likely be defended by OG Anunoby the rest of the way, who will only up the defensive pressure.
But, if there’s a moment for Brown to display the warrior mindset he takes so much pride in, it’s Game 5. His comments after Game 4 indicated he’s eager for the challenge.
“Get ready for the next one,” Brown said. “Get ready to fight. Get ready to come out on our own floor and do what we need to do. That’s the goal. It’s still the goal. We got enough in his locker room. So I believe in my guys.”