Jayson Tatum’s injury devastating for Boston Celtics now and beyond

By Matt Geagan

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — The reality of Jayson Tatum’s devastating injury in Monday night’s Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks is setting in, changing the present and the future of the Boston Celtics.

Tatum will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, but the worst is expected. The scene that played out Monday night at Madison Square Garden looked like many of the Achilles injuries that have plagued the NBA in recent years, and will not just cost Tatum the rest of this playoff series but likely the majority of — if not all of — next season. Talk about an absolute gut punch for Boston Celtics fans.

It made an already bad night a lot worse, as the Celtics were well on their way to losing Game 4 and falling into a 3-1 series hole when Tatum went down with just under three minutes to play. He lunged for a ball Jaylen Brown had turned over at the top of the wing, but never got to it. Instead, Tatum collapsed to the floor and grabbed his right heel in agony.

The scene just got uglier for the Celtics and Tatum. He couldn’t put any weight on his right foot and had to be helped off the floor. ESPN later showed Tatum being taken around MSG in a wheelchair, with tears streaming from the superstar’s eyes.

Devastating is really the only word to describe this injury for the Celtics. Tatum does everything for Boston at a superstar level, and was once again leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists this postseason. For much of Monday night, it looked like the team was squarely on his back and he’d will them to a victory. He was painting another masterpiece with 42 points off 16 of 28 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals in Game 4.

The Celtics won last year’s championship thanks to a full team effort, but a lot of it was the product of all the defensive attention Tatum commands. He’s the superstar that makes it all go, and one that doesn’t believe in load management. He’s the rare stare that wants to play every night, minor ailments be damned.

But Monday night’s injury isn’t like the wrist injury he suffered in the first round that caused him to miss his first-ever playoff game. Joe Mazzulla was not yelling for his star to “get up!” this time. He was just as shattered as the rest of the team and fanbase.

The scene is brutal to the Celtics both in the present and the offseason path the franchise will soon have to take. Overcoming a 3-1 series hole would have been hard enough for the Celtics with Tatum, but will now be nearly impossible against a Knicks team that has had their number.

There is now a really strong chance Wednesday night’s Game 5 at TD Garden could be the last time we see these Celtics together as a group.

What’s next for Celtics after Jayson Tatum’s injury?

The future of the Celtics has been the elephant in the room all season, and it’s not something fans want to talk about now either. But it’s going to become a reality sooner than later if Tatum is lost for all of next season.

Brad Stevens kept the band together last summer hoping to go on a repeat run, and the team looked destined for another banner for much of the year. But the Celtics are an ungodly expensive team, and the team and fanbase is likely going to have to say farewell to players they’ve fallen in love with — players whose fingerprints are all over last year’s Larry O’Brien trophy.

Boston’s new ownership has talked about keeping things rolling, but that just won’t be sustainable if the Celtics are without their superstar in 2025-26. The Celtics would still be a team capable of making a run, but losing true contender status could signal a slew of changes.

With $227 million already on the books for 11 players next season, Boston’s luxury tax bill is already at $280 million. Paying $507 million for one season is a massive price tag even for a contender, and some cost-cutting moves were already expected to hit the roster.

Losing Tatum could potentially lead to moves that will take big money contracts like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis off the books. Finding takers for a veteran point guard and an extremely versatile, but frequently injured, big man could prove to be difficult, and the Celtics are not going to get a great return for anyone. Chances are they’ll have to attach a first-round pick to jettison either.

Sam Hauser is signed for three more years at $10-12 million per season, and could also be dealt in a cost-trimming move. And while ageless free-agent-to-be Al Horford may want to continue his career with the Celtics, Boston may have to move on and find a younger, even more cost-effective option next season.

None of those will be easy decisions for the Celtics. But it all will be in play now that Tatum’s season is in doubt.

Boston has been a luxury tax team for three straight years, which would bring upon repeater penalties next season. Dipping under the $187 million tax would reset the books for the Celtics and the tax shot clock for a year. Two straight years of being under the tax would allow the Celtics to avoid the repeater tax until 2030, and could give Stevens and Co. a lot of flexibility to get the championship wagon rolling again when a healthy Tatum returns.

This is not the ceremonious end anyone wanted to see for this incredibly enjoyable and likeable Celtics core. They were supposed to have another shot at a title, even if it meant trying to overcome a 3-1 hole in the second round.

But the present and the future of the Boston Celtics changed when Tatum went down Monday night. He will return to the floor at some point in Celtics green, but no one has any idea what the team will look like when it happens.

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