Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum underwent surgery on Tuesday after suffering an Achilles injury in the team's 121-113 Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks. It's an injury we've seen several players suffer before, including Kevin Durant in 2019 when he tore his Achilles with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley offered some sage advice to Tatum during a segment on TNT's pregame show for the NBA Playoffs. Barkley believes it'd be a smart move for the Celtics' 27-year-old star forward to give Durant a call on how to recover from the Achilles tear.

“First call I would make is to Kevin Durant… [he's] six years removed from the time he blew out his Achilles… the best experience is somebody who's already experienced it before.”

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Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard suffered a similar fate in the playoffs last season. He missed the entire 2025-26 campaign and isn't expected to return until some point in 2026-27. He's another player Jayson Tatum could reach out to, as Lillard is one of the more recent players in the league to battle through an Achilles injury.

The injury puts the Celtics in a tough spot moving forward. Boston is down 3-1 in the series against the New York Knicks and faces elimination. Additionally, it's not likely for Jayson Tatum to return to action by next season, which means the front office could be forced to make big moves in the offseason to build a championship-level roster.

Before falling to injury, Tatum was balling out against the Knicks in Game 4. He was doing everything imaginable to keep the Celtics in the game, but Boston just couldn't keep up. The six-time All-Star ended the evening with 42 points, eight rebounds, and four assists while shooting 57.1% from the field and 43.75% from the three-point line.

The Celtics will aim to keep their playoff hopes alive at 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday. Game 5 tips off in Boston, giving the franchise a chance to win one in front of its home crowd.