Jayson Tatum’s Father Calls Celtics Roster “Sh*t”, Picks Knicks to Win NBA Championship Again

Just days earlier on Ultimate Dads Unplugged, Justin Tatum spoke about feeling pushed out of the public narrative around his son’s rise. This week on the same podcast he turned his attention to the current Boston roster and delivered a far more blunt assessment. The father of Jayson Tatum did not hold back.

Justin Tatum said the Celtics roster is “sh*t” and that the New York Knicks are positioned to win the championship again.

“Realistically, I might say New York might run it back… Right now, the Celtics roster is sh*t,” he stated on Ultimate Dads Unplugged (h/t) Fullcourtpass. The comments quickly circulated because they came from the parent of Boston’s franchise player.

The Celtics have undergone major roster changes since their recent contention window. Key pieces departed, most notably Jaylen Brown in a move that sent him to Philadelphia. Jayson Tatum remains the clear centerpiece, still working his way fully back after the Achilles injury that limited him. His father’s public ranking places the defending champion Knicks ahead of a Boston group he views as incomplete.

The Knicks won the 2026 title and return largely intact. Continuity has become their advantage while several Eastern Conference teams, including Boston, are still assembling new supporting casts around their stars.

Justin Tatum Says Knicks Are Positioned to Repeat While Celtics Roster Draws Harsh Review

Tatum’s father did not frame his comments as temporary frustration. He described the current Boston roster as inadequate and named 2026 champions, New York as the realistic pick to repeat another title.

The assessment came while the Celtics are still defining what the supporting group around Jayson Tatum will look like for the coming season.

Boston’s offseason left the supporting cast thinner than the groups that reached recent Finals. The Knicks, by contrast, will start the season with a championship core that already proved it could close games when needed. That difference is what Justin Tatum highlighted.

Jayson Tatum’s father used the Ultimate Dads Unplugged platform to speak candidly about both family and basketball. This time the target was the roster surrounding his son.

He called it insufficient. And pointed to the defending champions as the team most likely to hoist the trophy again in 2027. The comments leave little room for interpretation.