The 76ers just received terrifying news that doesn’t even involve them

The Philadelphia 76ers just faced the Boston Celtics, their archrivals, for the fourth and final time. But with Joel Embiid out of commission due to a strained oblique, the former didn’t stand a chance against the East’s second-best team. But despite both teams not playing another regular season game, the Celtics are poised to upset the 76ers once again with this sudden development.

Longtime NBA analyst Bill Simmons concluded as much recently Jayson Tatum is about to make his comeback for Boston in their upcoming games against the Mavericks. With the Celtics still having a wildly successful season without their second-best player (stop your Tatum-Jaylen Brown debate elsewhere), they might just have what it takes to reclaim the East for good.

And with the playoff picture in the East not ruling out a matchup between the 76ers and the Celtics, Philly should certainly zero in on the situation with Tatum, who has been a thorn in their side in recent years and has already won a championship as the 76ers remain in the hunt for their first Conference Finals appearance of the Embiid era.

Jayson Tatum’s return is bad news for the 76ers and the rest of the Eastern Conference

Thanks to a high-octane offense and a quietly suffocating defense, Boston has remained one of the best teams in the league. Adding Tatum to the group will only make them even more lethal, especially in the postseason.

Now, no one knows how Tatum will deal with his Achilles injury, which is widely considered the worst injury an NBA player can suffer. His explosiveness certainly won’t be the same, but his shooting touch is probably still the same. That will be enough for Boston for now, especially since they need another player who can be counted on to consistently generate points.

The 76ers are currently the sixth seed in the East, while the Celtics are in second place. However, only 1.5 games separate them from the third-seeded Knicks. As such, there’s a good chance Philly ultimately draws Boston for their first-round matchup, assuming they remain entrenched at No. 6.

As an NBA fan, the objective reaction to the Jayson Tatum return rumor is one of relief. After all, he is one of the best players in the league. However, the 76ers should certainly feel threatened as he has been the main cog behind the Celtics’ dominance over Philly in recent years.