Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum will miss the remainder of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Knicks, and likely much more, after undergoing successful surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon, the team announced Tuesday.
There is no timetable for when he might return to basketball activities
The update confirms what had been suspected by most since the injury occurred late in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s Game 4 loss to New York, which dropped them in a 3-1 series hole. Tatum fell to the floor in a heap with just over three minutes remaining while reaching for Knicks forward OG Anunoby, who came up with a steal and brought it to the other end of the floor for a dunk to put the Knicks up nine. The non-contact nature of the injury immediately suggested that it was serious.
After being helped off the floor, he was transported to the Celtics’ locker room in a wheelchair.
“The fact that he had to be carried off, he’s the type of guy that gets right up,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So, he didn’t… IT’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that.”
Tatum, who was leading the Celtics in total points, rebounds, and assists for a second straight postseason and was the catalyst of their title-winning team last year, underwent an MRI in New York on Tuesday, which showed the surgery was needed.
Tatum had scored 42 points with eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks on Monday night before going down. His absence all but dooms the Celtics’ hopes of pulling off a comeback with Game 5 looming in Boston on Wednesday night.
“I thought he just rolled his ankle,” Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson, who scored 39 points, said. “Obviously, we want to go out there and compete, but when a player of his caliber goes down and he’s rolling in pain like that, you know something’s wrong… You just never want to see something like that, ever.”
