The Boston Celtics suffered a shock to their system when superstar forward Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the defending NBA champions' series against the New York Knicks. The Celtics lost that game and fell into a 3-1 hole shortly after the injury.

His team responded without him in Game 5, but Tatum knows that a very long and involved rehab stint is needed before he can step on the court and compete once again. The estimate is that it will take 8-to-12 months for Tatum to recover and then return to the feverish pace of NBA competition.

But it will take more than time for Tatum to come all the way back and get on an NBA court. Tatum will have the medical staff and the trainers of the Boston Celtics to provide him with a road map to follow so he can put on a Celtics uniform once again. He has to do all the work that is necessary, and that means going the extra mile when the pain involved — both mental and physical — is severe.

Tatum plans to consult with fellow NBA superstar Kevin Durant because the 6-11 sharpshooter went through the process after tearing his Achilles, according to NBA insider Shams Charania. Durant sat out the 2019-20 season while rehabbing from that injury, and when he returned in the 2020-21 season while playing for the Brooklyn Nets, he averaged 26.9 points per game and demonstrated that he was still one of the sport's most explosive scorers.

Celtics hoping to survive without Tatum

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Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) controls the ball from New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) in the second half during game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.
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Boston Celtics players watch from the bench during the end of the fourth quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
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Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) controls the ball while Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defends during the first half at TD Garden.
Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Image

The defending NBA champions were heavy favorites to beat the Knicks before the second-round series started. However, the Knicks displayed an aggressive style that paid off with back-to-back fourth quarter comebacks in Games 1 and 2 of the series in Boston.

The Celtics returned to top form in Game 3 of the series at Madison Square Garden, and many experts thought that Boston would seize control of the series in Game 4. However, the Knicks played a brilliant second half and took the game away from the Celtics well before the Tatum injury.

The Celtics played heroically in Game 5 without their superstar and rolled to a 127-102 triumph. That enabled them to push the series to 6 games.

While Tatum won't be able to play until late in the 2025-26 season, he traveled to New York to encourage his team to keep on pushing hard for what appears to be an improbable task of beating the Knicks. The key to that may be the defensive effort they can generate against Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart.