The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, the last two Eastern Conference champions, are approaching their Wednesday matchup from opposite ends of the standings following Achilles injuries to their star players last spring. Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton both suffered the tears during the 2025 playoffs, reshaping their teams' trajectories. Despite the challenges, both franchises see potential paths to future success.
Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles on May 12 during Game 4 of Boston's second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. Six weeks later, Tyrese Haliburton sustained a similar injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Nine months on, the Celtics hold a 26-16 record, securing the No. 2 spot in the East, while the Pacers languish at 10-34, near the bottom of the conference.
Boston entered the offseason by trading Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday to reduce payroll, signaling a potential step back. Instead, the team has remained competitive. Jaylen Brown leads the charge, averaging career highs of 29.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. He tops the league in made field goals at 10.9 per game and has improved his three-point shooting efficiency after a down year. Payton Pritchard, last season's Sixth Man of the Year, has stepped up as a starter with a career-high scoring average. Derrick White has also boosted his production.
The Celtics rank third in generating open threes—defined as shots with a defender 4-6 feet away—and ninth in converting them at 34.8 percent. They attempt the second-most threes league-wide and boast the second-best offensive rating. Anfernee Simons, acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers, has adapted well off the bench, showing higher efficiency through better shot selection, including more mid-range attempts and fewer threes at a career-high clip. His defensive improvements have earned praise from coach Joe Mazzulla, reflected in his fourth-best plus-minus on the team at +4.0. This raises questions about trading him before the February 5 deadline.
In contrast, Indiana has embraced a rebuild, posting the second-worst record in the NBA. The Pacers endured a 13-game losing streak into early January and once surrendered 152 points to the Utah Jazz. Retaining most of their Finals roster minus Haliburton and Myles Turner, they could have pushed for a play-in spot but chose to bottom out. A key move came during the Finals when they traded their 2025 first-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans to reclaim their 2026 pick, which now projects as a top-five selection. This positions them to potentially draft prospects like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, or Cameron Boozer alongside a returning Haliburton next season.
Both teams demonstrate that multiple strategies can emerge from adversity, with Boston contending now and Indiana building for tomorrow.
