The Boston Celtics announced Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon in the fourth quarter of Monday’s Game 4 against the New York Knicks.
Tatum underwent surgery on Tuesday and is expected to make a full recovery. There is no timetable for a return.
A ruptured Achilles is a devastating injury for any athlete and Tatum will likely miss at least most of next season. Damian Lillard suffered the same, unfortunate fate last month while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
In the near term, the Celtics’ championship hopes are virtually over with such a significant injury to their best player. Even the possibility of coming back in their current second-round series against the New York Knicks while trailing 3-1 is slight.
Tatum played in 72 games this season, averaging 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.1 steals. He is likely to make the All-NBA First Team.
Boston will host Game 5 against New York on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. EST.
Tatum’s Achilles Nothing Short Of Tragic
Losing one of the best players in the league in the prime of his career for an entire season is extremely sad.
Tatum has been healthy throughout his eight years in the NBA thus far and, at his age, this type of injury is a major shock. It was evident in his reaction just how much grief he immediately felt. One can only hope he makes as close to a full recovery as possible.
Kevin Durant is arguably the best example Tatum can look up to in this situation. Durant suffered the same injury during the 2019 NBA Finals and has looked as close to his former self as anyone else who has suffered this injury.
The likes of Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins and the late great Kobe Bryant were never the same after.
Celtics’ Long-Term Outlook Murky?
After Tatum’s potentially career-altering, it’s possible the Celtics’ championship window with he and Jaylen Brown at the forefront is smaller than anticipated.
Tatum signed a five-year contract worth $314 million set to begin next season. Brown signed a five-year, $285 million contract that kicked in this season. The surrounding core of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis have sizable contracts as well. Al Horford is a free agent this summer but is hopeful of a return.
New ownership will be stepping in for the Celtics soon. How they assess the core group, along with the inevitable, significant luxury tax penalties, will be crucial moving forward.
All of this is why you can never take winning even one title for granted.