Jayson Tatum injury - What's next for the star, Boston and Celtics the future - ESPN

Testing on Tuesday confirmed what anyone who saw Jayson Tatum fall to the floor during Monday's Boston Celtics loss to the New York Knicks already feared: Tatum suffered a rupture of his right Achilles tendon late in the fourth quarter, sidelining him not only for the remainder of this postseason but also jeopardizing his availability for the 2025-26 season.

Given Tatum's importance to the defending champions, as their leading scorer and a three-time All-NBA first team pick (with a fourth likely on the way when this year's teams are announced soon), his injury is one of the most consequential in NBA history.

The ramifications start with Boston's ability to come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Knicks, who are now favored in this series, but go well beyond that to how the Celtics will handle next season.

Let's look at how Boston might play without Tatum, plus the history of Achilles injuries in the NBA and its implications for the Celtics.

No NBA player since Jose Juan Barea in 2019 has returned sooner than 10½ months after an Achilles rupture, suggesting the Celtics should plan on Tatum missing the entire 2025-26 regular season. A postseason return is more realistic, but there's basically no precedent for that.

The only NBA player I could find who returned from a seasonlong injury in the playoffs was Larry Krystkowiak with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1991, when he came back from an ACL repair to play three games and total two points. Although Krystkowiak was a starter before the injury, the stakes weren't quite the same as with an All-NBA first teamer.

Postseason returns were discussed when both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson suffered injuries in the 2019 NBA Finals, but neither came to pass. The Golden State Warriors'