Tuesday's test confirmed the man who fell in the Boston Celtics' loss to the New York Knicks on Monday's Boston Celtics already worried about anyone in the New York Knicks: Tatum suffered a rupture of his right follow-up tendon in the second half of the fourth quarter, making him not only in the playoffs, but also in the 20225-26 season, causing his availability to damage his remaining time.

Given the importance of Tatum to defending champions, his injury is one of the biggest consequences in NBA history as their leading scorer and three-time all-NBA first-team draft picks (which will soon be fourth when the team announced this year).

The consequences start with Boston's 3-1 deficit ability against the Knicks, which are now favored in this series, but far beyond the way the Celtics handle next season.

Let's look at Boston's game without Tatum, and the history of NBA injuries and its impact on the Celtics.

When can we see Tatum return?

No NBA player has returned 10.5 months after Achilles ruptured since 2019, suggesting that the Celtics should plan to miss Tatum throughout the 2025-26 regular season. The playoff returns are more realistic, but there is basically no precedent.

The only NBA player I could find to return from a seasonal injury in the playoffs was Larry Krystkowiak, who in 1991, the Milwaukee Bucks returned from the ACL repair and played three games and two points. Although Krystkowiak was a starter before his injury, the bets were not exactly the same as those of the all-NBA first team.

The playoff payoff was discussed when Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were injured in the 2019 NBA Finals, but neither passed. The Golden State Warriors' 2019-20 season was over, until Thompson was cleared - later, he suffered a rupture from Achilles in his offseason pickup game. Meanwhile, Durant chose not to join the Brooklyn Nets to restart the bubble in the summer of 2020 and returned a year and a half after his Achilles burst at the start of the 2020-21 game.

Based on this history, Boston may want to approach 2025-26, even in the playoffs, Tatum will not play at all. Since drafting Tatum's third place in 2018, the team's mind has changed a lot in the team that has won 15 playoff series.

Second squeeze

As ESPN's Brian Windhorst has recently detailed, the Celtics are entering a volatile financial position. With Tatum's Supermax expansion - the biggest delay in NBA history to date, replacing teammate Jaylen Brown's - plans to begin next summer, with Boston over $40 million in luxury tax line for 2025-26. This isn't the experienced Stalwart Al Horford who will be an unrestricted free agent at the age of 39.

The Celtics’ looming tax bills, and restrictions on teams that surpass the second luxury tax apron, always want to force tough decisions. Tatum's injury accelerated. After all, paying $200 million in luxury taxes for potential champion teams north is one thing. For a team with uncertain abilities is another team.

Age is another consideration. If Boston's next championship window moves from 2026 to 2027, that will affect ideas about veterans, most notably Jaru Holiday. By the 2026-27 season, the holiday will be 36 years old. The Celtics are better off sending the holidays to another contender, and his value remains strong, a move that can both lower wages and make them younger in the perimeter year at the cost of defensive declines.

Instead, Tatum's absence may prevent Boston from considering trading Brown's nuclear option. The Celtics’ long-term financial challenge is that two players in Brown and Tatum combined a salary cap of more than 60% over the 2028-29 period. Now, Boston’s depth cannot be a sign, as its two most important players are getting paid like stars.

However, in Tatum's absence, Brown's ability to create his own shots will become crucial. They are the only two Celtic rotation players this season, with less than 59% of the shooting this season - Tatum is 39% and Brown is 46%.

Expectations for Tatum

Durant's return will undoubtedly be a comparison of Tatum. Although Durant was 30 years older than Tatum, suffered Achilles' injury at 30 and three, he returned as a pre-injury force and remains the six-year All-Star Game in the All-Star Game.

An example from Durant shows that it is possible to avoid large-scale performance loss after the Achilles rupture. Tatum's most likely impact could damage his durability. Including the playoffs, no one has played more NBA games since Tatum was drafted, and eight games have been missed this season due to injuries – six games in March and April, with Boston ranked second along the coast.

Whenever Tatum returns to the court, he may be restricted by a back-to-back game for a while and may be monitored as well. This may make it difficult for Tatum to add more all-NBA first-team appearances, even if his productivity is not suffering.

Usually, porous wings show the best return from Achilles’ injury. In addition to Durant, the group includes Thompson and Wesley Matthews, who returned to the court less than eight months after being injured in 2015 and continue to play in the NBA at the age of 37.

There is no guarantee that Tatum will join the group, rather than adding more examples of warnings, such as DeMarcus Cousins ​​and John Wall. However, there is no reason to consider the end of Achilles’ ability to break Tatum’s game at a high level.

How did the Celtics come back to this series?

First, they need to overcome the shock of seeing celebrity players helping the locker room in a wheelchair. Tatum's injury is frustrating, but his Boston teammates will have a few days to deal with it.

Even before Tatum was injured, the Celtics entered a huge hole after falling 3-1 in the series. Historically, like Boston, a 3-1 comeback is more feasible for higher seeds. Still, this means the team has gathered to win 8% of the time with a seventh (5-58) since 1984, while the lower seed trails are only 1% of the time.

In addition, Tatum is the biggest reason why the Celtics gave up 70 points in the second half. Tatum scored 42 points in 40 minutes and would have a career-high 40-point playoff title in any Boston player before falling.

In the absence of Tatum, the Celtics will need to rely on a defense that will have the Knicks scored 184 points in Games 2 and 3. Getting Jalen Brunson out of paint should be the top priority. Brunson's 18 points in paint almost hit 22 points on Monday.

As a team, New York scored 64 points in Game 4, the third-ranked team in any playoff game this season, according to NBA Advanced Stats. The Celtics could replace Tatum by scattering the scale on the court to protect the edge at the expense of their own shooting. If Boston can put the Knicks offense back into trouble, the Celtics will score enough points in three straight games and make an impossible comeback.

Still, the combination of losing on Monday and Tatum allowed Boston to win the ESPN BET Eastern Conference from having the best odds, entering Game 4, to the last of the four teams left now.