2024 Boston Celtics Finals MVP Jaylen Brown recently weighed in on his injured Boston All-Star colleague Jayson Tatum's adjusted look.
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Tatum has had a lot of time on his hands of late.
The 6-foot-8 power forward, a five-time All-NBA honoree, ruptured his Achilles tendon during Game 4 of Boston's second-round playoff matchup with the New York Knicks this past spring. He'll likely miss most or all of the 2025-26 season recovering.
So it appears he opted to treat himself with a new hairstyle, debuting a braided look in recent weeks.
Jayson Tatum has BRAIDS pic.twitter.com/nXV0DMO1DX
— Playoff BOS (@PlayoffBOS) August 24, 2025
On Brown's @FCHWPO Twitch channel, Brown was stunned when he
Jaylen Brown couldn’t believe Jayson Tatum’s new look:
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) August 24, 2025
“JT got braids? Nah, that’s crazy…JT just doing anything now.”
(Via @FCHWPO on Twitch) pic.twitter.com/pDZYyD9rxz
"They're saying JT got braids? Hello no. JT got braids? Nah, that’s crazy," Brown said. "That's insane. JT just doing anything now.”
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What's more stunning, of course, is the Celtics' massive roster overhaul this summer.
In light of Tatum's injury, team president Brad Stevens opted to trade away starting center Kristaps Porzingis and All-Defensive Team starting guard Jrue Holiday.
Stevens also flipped his return haul for Porzingis, stretch four Georges Niang and a second-round draft pick (plus an additional Celtics second-rounder), in exchange for a trade exception and two-way player RJ Luis Jr.
Boston has let third-string center Luke Kornet depart to sign with the San Antonio Spurs on a three-year, $41 million deal. He'll now serve as San Antonio's second-string backup, behind rising All-Star center Victor Wembanyama.
Free agent big man Al Horford remains unsigned, but has been linked to the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics did reportedly offer the 6-foot-9 Florida product a veteran's minimum deal, but he figures to earn more in Golden State — depending on how the team's Jonathan Kuminga restricted free agency negotiations work out, anyway.
To make up for these losses, Boston signed free agent power forward/center Chris Boucher and center Luka Garza and forward Josh Minott to minimum salaries. The Celtics also appear primed to elevate Neemias Queta to a more prominent role in head coach Joe Mazzulla's rotations.
Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and (maybe) new trade addition Anfernee Simons will have to pick up the scoring slack temporarily left by Tatum's health problems. Boucher and Minott will ostensibly compensate for Tatum defensively — albeit not at his level.
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