Contained in the NBA: Charles says the primary individual Jayson Tatum ought to name after having surgical procedure on his ruptured Achilles is Kevin Durant.
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum had surgical procedure Tuesday to restore a ruptured proper Achilles tendon that may sideline him for the rest of the playoffs, the staff introduced.
Jayson Tatum at present underwent profitable surgical procedure to restore a ruptured proper Achilles tendon. No timetable is presently accessible for his return, however he’s anticipated to make a full restoration. Additional updates shall be offered when acceptable. pic.twitter.com/TTXziFtMQB
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) Might 13, 2025
The Celtics introduced the extent of Tatum’s harm and the surgical procedure a day after the six-time All-Star went down within the Celtics’ 121-113 Recreation 4 loss to the New York Knicks, placing each the hopes of the defending champions repeating and Tatum’s enjoying standing for subsequent season unsure.
They didn’t give a timetable for his return however stated a full restoration was anticipated.
When Kevin Durant tore his Achilles tendon through the 2019 NBA Finals, he wound up lacking the complete 2019-2020 season.
The 27-year-old Tatum is main the Celtics in factors (28.1), rebounds (11.5) and assists (5.4) per recreation for the second straight postseason.
The Knicks lead the Celtics 3-1 of their Jap Convention semifinals collection. Recreation 5 is in Boston on Wednesday evening (7 ET, TNT).
Tatum was carried off the courtroom with 2:58 remaining in Monday evening’s recreation. The Celtics had simply turned the ball over and as Tatum moved for the unfastened ball, his leg gave out and he went down. He buried his face in a towel in apparent ache whereas grabbing at his leg above the ankle after the non-contact harm.
Tatum scored 42 factors, his highest complete throughout these playoffs and the most effective all-round postseason performances of his profession, earlier than he was harm.
The harm was Tatum’s second this postseason. He missed Recreation 2 of Boston’s 4-1 first-round collection win over Orlando with a bone bruise in his proper wrist. It was the primary time he’d missed a playoff recreation in his profession.
Now, Tatum’s teammates will face a frightening job that few groups earlier than them have pulled off in the event that they wish to break an NBA file six-season drought with no repeat champion.
Groups holding a 3-1 lead within the NBA playoffs have gone on to win 95.6% of the time, with solely 13 groups in 293 tries ever getting back from the deficit to win the collection.
“Clearly, all of us understand in our heads what this might imply. This a part of the game – it’s powerful,” Celtics heart Kristaps Porzingis stated Monday. “Now we have to maneuver ahead. He don’t need us to be over right here unhappy and never play our greatest basketball.”
To grow to be the 14th staff to beat a 3-1 deficit, the Celtics will want large performances from a roster that has a number of gamers who’ve handled accidents this postseason.
All-Star Jaylen Brown entered the playoffs coping with a proper knee concern that has slowed him at occasions. Porzingis additionally has been slowed at occasions by the lingering results of a viral sickness that sidelined him for stretches within the second half of the common season.
Brown stated Monday that his confidence stays excessive.
“Prepare for the following one. Get able to combat. Prepare to come back out on our dwelling flooring and do what we have to do,” Brown stated. “That’s the aim. Nonetheless the aim. We’ve bought sufficient on this locker room. So, I consider in my guys.”
No matter how this collection or the remainder of the playoffs play out for Boston, Tatum’s harm doubtless will alter how the franchise confronts this coming offseason.
Together with this yr, the Celtics’ payroll shall be over the wage cap and make them a luxury-tax staff for the third straight season. Meaning they are going to be hit with the “repeater tax” for being over the cap threshold in three out of our seasons.
Their present payroll for subsequent season is on observe to come back in round $225 million, which might imply a tax invoice subsequent yr of just about $280 million. The mixed potential $500 complete price ticket can be a league file.
It’s unclear whether or not the staff’s incoming new possession will wish to maintain paying these hefty taxes to take care of the present roster after agreeing to a purchase order in March that’s anticipated to have a ultimate worth of a minimal of $6.1 billion.
Tatum signed an NBA-record five-year, $314 contract final July that may start subsequent season. Brown is enjoying beneath a five-year, $304 million deal that kicked on this season.
That signifies that trimming participant wage is a chance possession might discover this summer season.
And with Tatum presumably lacking all of subsequent season, it might speed up the entrance workplace’s timeline for remodeling the present roster with an eye fixed towards the long run.