Celtics Legend Gets Brutally Honest About Boston's Title Chances

May 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and forward Jayson Tatum (0) warm up before the start of game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

A six-time Boston Celtics champion has weighed in on the current crop's forthcoming title chances.

Boston lost six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tendon rupture during the second round of the playoffs, which prompted team president Brad Stevens to trade starters Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, while letting centers Luke Kornet and (probably) Al Horford walk in free agency.

After cutting point guard JD Davison, Stevens managed to duck below the league's punitive second luxury tax apron, although Boston remains above the first luxury tax apron as of this writing.

Clearly, Stevens believes this year's team — even if he had kept the championship core in place for another season — was doomed to be an also-ran without a healthy Tatum.

So when will Boston be able to tack on its 19th championship?

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During a new birthday-themed interview (he turned 97 on August 9) with The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy, former 13-time All-Star Celtics point guard Bob Cousy got honest about the club's odds of winning it all again any time soon.

"That’s going to take awhile," Cousy reflected pessimistically. "I’m more likely to live to 100 than the Celtics win another championship.”

In fairness, Boston will need to add some major pieces before it approaches contention again — and that's assuming Tatum can regain his All-NBA play. Achilles tears can be permanently career-altering, but given Tatum's relative youth (he's 27) and shooting acumen, combined with the advent of modern technology, Celtics fans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic at least about him.

What's more of a head scratcher is the shape of Boston's roster around Tatum, All-Star forward Jaylen Brown, and All-Defensive Team guard Derrick White. The team has a major deficit at the center position after ditching the top three players at that position this summer.

The swap of Anfernee Simons for Holiday represents a massive defensive downgrade (Simons is a negative on that end, where Holiday in 2023-24 remained one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders), although in theory the 26-year-old could give the Celtics a little creative juice as a scorer.

Essentially, though, Boston needs to add a starting-caliber center — unless Neemias Queta or new signings Chris Boucher or Luka Garza can break through and take a massive leap — and a perimeter defender.

Stevens has moves to make, as he presumably will look to dip below the first luxury tax apron by the end of the 2025-26 season. So perhaps he'll address some of those needs.

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