In Boston's Game 4 loss to the Knicks, Tatum suffered a non-contact injury in the final minutes. As initially feared, it was recently reported to be an Achilles injury. Tatum underwent surgery and is expected to miss all of the 2025-26 NBA season, and possibly some of the following season. It's a big blow to one of the final players remaining in the league that prioritizes effort over load management, which may lead the league further down a path of resting star players throughout the regular season.
What do you think of Tatum's injury? Can Boston come back down from 3-1 without him? Do you think he has a shot of returning before the end of next season? Do you think he'll return at full form or never quite reach his peak again?
Man. This sucks for Boston. It's one thing to get beaten in a series at full strength. But it's another thing when you don't have a chance to defend your title without your top player.
I'm no medical expert, but those Achilles injuries seem to be difficult to return from. Since he's young, there's more than enough time to rediscover his form, even if he has to miss all of next season, but it won't be easy to replicate game speed/conditions after being away from the game for an extended period of time.
@jdtillman Yeah age will certainly be key a factor, most never fully return to 100% after achilles
@keith We will see if the defending champs can replicate their level of play and stave off elimination again.
What's happening to the odds?!
