Jayson Tatum suffered a career-altering injury against the New York Knicks in the second round of the offseason.
While attempting to dive on a loose ball late in the Celtics’ Game 4 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Tatum fell awkwardly without making contact with an opponent. That usually indicates that a player is dealing with a significant lower-body injury.
ESPN’s Shams Charania later revealed that the Duke product would miss the remainder of the series and likely the entire 2025-26 season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon injury.
The Knicks eliminated the Tatum-less Celtics in five games and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
With the NBA champion forward undergoing successful surgery and beginning the rehab process, it isn’t surprising that he felt the need to provide a helpful update on his current status.
“Day 25, days starting to get a little easier,” Tatum wrote on X/Twitter Saturday.
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Life will be tough for the Celtics without Tatum next year. If the Celtics elect to retain Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP must embrace a superhuman offense role to keep Boston in contention.
Brown, who played on a partially torn meniscus in the playoffs, averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game as the franchise’s No. 2 scoring option.
Regarding an alternative route to remaining competitive in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics could consider a blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, an unguardable Phoenix Suns forward who would undoubtedly help Brown carry the offensive load.
The Suns recently hired former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott to replace Mike Budenholzer in Phoenix after a miserable season, which could negatively affect Durant and help the Celtics replace their 28.1 points per game scorer (Tatum).
There’s no doubt that Tatum will be eager to soon return to the hardwood and pick back up where he left off in Boston.
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