The Boston Celtics announced that Jayson Tatum suffered a right follow-up in the fourth quarter of Monday's Game 4 against the New York Knicks.
Tatum underwent surgery on Tuesday and is expected to recover completely. No timeline for returns.
For any athlete, the ruptured Achilles is a devastating injury that Tatum may miss for at least most of next season. Damian Lillard suffered the same fate last month while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
In the short term, the Celtics’ championship hopes have almost ended their big injury to the best player. Even in the second round of the New York Knicks who were behind 3-1, it could be slight.
Tatum has played in 72 games this season, with an average of 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.1 steals. He could be an all-NBA first team.
Boston will host Game 5 in New York at 7:00 pm EST.
Jayson Tatum had a successful surgery today to repair the ruptured right follow-up is the tendon. There is currently no timetable for him to pay back, but he is expected to recover fully. Further updates will be provided when appropriate. pic.twitter.com/ttxziftmqb
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 13, 2025
Tatum's Achilles is ruthless
It was very sad to lose one of the best players in the league in his career throughout the season.
Tatum has been healthy for eight years in the NBA so far, and at his age, the injury is a major shock. It was obvious in his reaction that he felt sad immediately. One can only hope that he can be as close to full recovery as possible.
Kevin Durant is arguably the best example of what Tatum can look up to in this situation. Durant suffered the same damage in the 2019 NBA Finals and looked as close to his own self as others who suffered this injury.
People like Klay Thompson, Demarcus Cousins and the late Great Kobe Bryant were never the same.
Are the Celtics' long-term prospects blurred?
After Tatum's potential career-changing possibility, he and Jaylen Brown's at the forefront of the Celtics may have a smaller window than expected.
Tatum signed a five-year contract worth $314 million, which will begin next season. Brown signed a five-year, $255 million contract this season. Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis have considerable contracts as well. Al Horford is a free agent this summer but hopes to pay off.
The new ownership will soon step into the Celtics. How they evaluate the core groups and the inevitable, significant luxury tax penalty will be crucial.
All of this is why you can never win.
