Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was hoping to lead his team on another pursuit of an NBA title during the 2025 postseason. However, those plans didn’t end up coming to fruition after Tatum suffered a torn Achilles in Game 4 of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks.
With three minutes remaining in that game, Tatum was diving for a loose ball and his leg ended up giving out. Tatum was in visible pain and had to be carried off of the court.
The Knicks ended up coming away with a 121-113 win in that Game 4 and ultimately took a 3-1 series lead in the process. Prior to being forced from the game, Tatum scored 39 points for the Celtics.
Four months have passed since Tatum suffered the devastating injury and he continues to focus on his recovery with the 2025-26 season right around the corner.
“I think the most important thing is making a full recovery and being 100%,” Tatum told CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday. “If that’s this season, there’s obviously conversations to be had. For me, I love to play. I’ve never been a guy that wants to sit out and I try to play in every game possible.”
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Tatum did admit that it’s been an emotionally-charged road as he continues to work his way back from the Achilles injury.
“It’s been tough, it’s been a rollercoaster. It’s been emotional,” Tatum added. “It’s a new experience for me… Our first practice is a week from today and I won’t be able to be out there with the team. I won’t be out there to start the season. That’s been a tough pill to swallow and something I’ve been working through every day.”
Whenever Tatum returns to the floor, the Celtics roster is going to look a fair amount different than it did in 2024-25. The Celtics traded veteran big man Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal. In addition, in an effort to shed salary, guard Jrue Holiday was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for young guard Anfernee Simons.
“I do have the utmost faith in our team,” Tatum said. “Obviously, this is a business and there’s going to be turnover from year-to-year. You’re not always going to have the same team. We still have a core group that we won the championship with, but we have a lot of new faces. I’m really excited about the team that we have. There’s an opportunity for guys to have larger roles.”
While the Celtics did make some changes, the team will still rely upon the core group that is headlined by Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.
Tatum certainly hasn’t missed an extended period like he will throughout the 2025-26 season, but Brown has thrived in the past when Tatum has been out of the lineup. In his last 10 games without Tatum on the court, Brown has put together averages of 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists while shooting 34.5% from 3.