Photo by Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images
The story of last night was not that the New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 121-113 and effectively ended the Celtics’ title hopes. It was that Jayson Tatum went down with an apparent Achilles tendon injury.
After Jaylen Brown carelessly turned over the basketball late in the fourth quarter, Tatum was forced to stop on a dime to try to retrieve the loose ball. In doing so, he collapsed to the floor, holding his right heel.
Tatum was carried off the floor and wheel-chaired into the locker room with his hands in his head.
Tatum’s Legacy Going Forward
Jayson Tatum was already on his way to cementing himself as one of the greatest Celtics players ever, and a top 50 NBA player in history at just the age of 27.
However, an Achilles injury is simply devastating for any professional athlete. Tatum is likely looking at a year or so for his recovery from this injury, meaning that the ’25-’26 season is pretty much down the drain for him and his team before this season has even ended.
An Achilles injury is also historically damaging to the athletic ability of athletes, even after making a full recovery. The odds are on Tatum’s side with his age and athleticism, but just ask the likes of Kevin Durant, Dan Marino, and Damian Lillard what it’s like to rehab from this type of injury.
And while it is a good thing for Tatum’s recovery that he is in his athletic prime, that means he is missing a full year or two of his playing prime where he should be dominating the league.
The End Of The Jays?
Brian Windhorst of ESPN has been saying for weeks now that the Boston Celtics’ core will likely get shaken up this offseason. Now, with Tatum and his massive contract out for a long time, could Jaylen Brown be a part of that shake-up?
I certainly think it is likely. Brown has a massive contract, and with new ownership, the massive payroll the team has, and the uncertain future, I could see this being the end of the Celtics as we know it.
It really pains me to say that, as I have fallen in love with this team ever since they drafted Tatum and Brown in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
If this is the end, I want to say thank you to Jayson, Jaylen, Brad Stevens, and the rest of the Celtics players, coaches, and front office people for giving us a great team to root for this past decade or so.
While this would be an awful final game for the Jays to end on, at least they won a championship and played in many unforgettable postseason matchups.
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