Celtics star Jason Tatum fears he suffered a torn Achilles in Game 4 of Boston’s defeat to the New York Knicks.
Tatum was taken from the floor with Boston nine down late in the fourth quarter, and if the injury is so severe that it could be the last time he’s seen the 27-year-old for quite some time.
The Knicks took a 3-1 series lead and the Celtics now face a monumental job of overturning the deficit without a major player who performed in the night with 42 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The fact that it is a non-contact injury to the lower limb suggests that the worst actually happened, with Celtics head coach Joe Matzla saying Tatum will undergo an MRI to determine the severity.
When Jaylen Brown, Tatum’s crime partner, was asked what the Boston franchise meant in the future, he replied. “I don’t really know. I don’t have any words now.”
Tatum has been labelled NBA Iron Man over an eight-year career. Before suffering a wrist injury in the first round against the Orlando Magic, he has never missed a playoff game since being drafted in 2017.
He played more than 1,500 minutes on entry than anyone else in the league, and the 10 games he missed this year’s regular season, which he left behind.
Watch: Jason Tatum is saved by the court with tears of terrified Achilles
Jason Tatum was saved from the court late in Game 4 after a leg injury was revealed in the play. pic.twitter.com/uf8d4mxqlo
-espn (@espn) May 13, 2025
Widely considered one of the NBA’s best players, Tatum will soon be awarded the fourth straight first team All-NBA Honor after averaging 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the regular season.
The former Duke Blue Devil will lift his first championship last summer when he defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, ending his current postseason with an average of 28.1 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
The league has not seen back-to-back champions since the 2017 and 2018 Golden State Warriors. It seems likely that this trend will continue.