Photo: Kyle Bray/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — When Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum collapsed to the ground late in Game 4 Monday night, it was clear the injury was serious.
As it turned out, Tatum suffered a torn right Achilles tendon that will probably keep him out for most, if not all of next season.
Massachusetts General Brigham Dr. Adam Tenforde said injuries such as the one Tatum suffered are particularly devastating. "The challenge with the Achilles tendon is that it is very important for being able to develop the ballistic athletic movements that are required to be the all-star athlete that Jayson Tatum is."
Tatum was injured during Monday night's loss to the Knicks while he chased a loose ball as time was running out in the game.
He took a step back with his right leg and crashed to the ground, a no-contact injury.
He was on the floor for a long time, eventually getting carried off by the Celtics medical staff unable to put any weight on his injured right leg.
Once in the Celtic's tunnel, he was placed in a wheelchair.
Tatum had surgery on Tuesday that by all accounts went as expected with no complications.
Dr. Tenforde said Tatum has a long road ahead in his recovery with an optimistic expectation that he will be out 6-9 months.
Dr. Tenforde said the good news is that Tatum is young and healthy with excellent medical care. "He's going to have a great team around him to ensure he gets all the appropriate structured rehabilitation, optimal nutrition, and other strategies to allow his body to fully heal and get back to being Jayson Tatum."
WBZ NewsRadio's Kyle Bray (@KyleBrayWBZ) reports.