Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has undergone surgical procedure to restore a ruptured proper achilles tendon that may sideline him for the rest of the playoffs, the crew introduced on Tuesday.
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. Tatum was in clear ache after the harm and was later seen along with his head in his arms as he was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.
The harm places each the hopes of the Celtics defending their title and Tatum’s enjoying standing for subsequent season doubtful. When Kevin Durant tore his achilles in the course of the 2019 NBA finals, he went on to overlook your entire 2019-2020 season.
The 27-year-old Tatum was main the Celtics in factors (28.1), rebounds (11.5) and assists (5.4) per recreation for the second straight postseason earlier than his harm.
The Knicks lead the Celtics 3-1 of their Japanese Convention semi-finals sequence. Recreation 5 is in Boston on Wednesday evening.
Now, Tatum’s teammates will face a frightening process that few groups earlier than them have pulled off in the event that they need to break an NBA file six-season drought with out a 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 sequence.
“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 on Monday. “We’ve to maneuver ahead. He don’t need us to be over right here unhappy and never play our greatest basketball.”
To turn into simply the 14th crew to beat a 3-1 deficit, the Celtics will want huge 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 knee concern that has slowed him at occasions. Porzingis additionally has been affected by the lingering results of a viral sickness.
No matter how this sequence or the remainder of the playoffs play out for Boston, Tatum’s harm will alter how the franchise confronts this coming offseason.
Together with this yr, the Celtics’ payroll might be over the wage cap and make them a luxury-tax crew 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 monitor to come back in round $225m, which might imply a tax invoice subsequent yr of virtually $280m. The mixed potential $500m whole price ticket could be a league file. It’s unclear whether or not the crew’s incoming new possession will need to preserve paying these hefty taxes to keep up the present roster after agreeing to a purchase order in March that’s anticipated to have a ultimate value of a minimal of $6.1bn.
Tatum signed an NBA-record five-year, $314m contract final July that may start subsequent season. Brown is enjoying below a five-year, $304m deal that kicked on this season. That signifies that trimming participant wage is a risk possession might discover this summer season. And with Tatum probably lacking all of subsequent season, it might speed up the entrance workplace’s timeline for transforming the present roster with an eye fixed towards the long run.
Different notable athletes who’ve come again from a torn achilles tendon
Aaron Rodgers. The four-time NFL MVP tore his achilles tendon in September 2023, 4 snaps into his first yr with the New York Jets. Rodgers, 39 on the time, returned to apply in an astonishing 77 days after surgical procedure however didn’t play once more till September 2024. The Jets launched him in March, and he’s undecided on enjoying in 2025.
Kobe Bryant. The late Corridor of Famer tore his achilles in April 2013 had surgical procedure the following day and returned to the courtroom with the Los Angeles Lakers in December that yr, at age 35. Bryant performed solely six video games earlier than a knee harm compelled him to overlook the remainder of the season. Bryant averaged 22.3 factors in solely 35 video games in 2014-15 and 17.6 factors in 66 video games in his final season in 2015-16.
Kevin Durant. The 2-time NBA finals MVP tore an achilles tendon in June 2019. He missed a full season and got here again with the Brooklyn Nets in December 2020, at age 32. Durant hasn’t performed greater than 55 video games in any season since his return however he’s been elite, averaging 28.8 factors, 7.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists in three seasons because the harm.
Dominique Wilkins. The Corridor of Famer tore an achilles tendon in January 1992. He returned to the courtroom with the Atlanta Hawks that November, simply two months shy of turning 33. Wilkins averaged 29.9 factors in his first season again and performed seven extra years, together with two stints abroad.
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