Every time Jayson Tatum writhed on the ground in pain, Celtics fans held their breath.
“Could this finally be the one?” was the initial thought as Tatum has been an iron man throughout his career. Even when Tatum was actually hurt in the first round against the Magic — which led to an amusing Joe Mazzulla clip — he eventually got back up. That’s what Tatum does.
Or at least did.
So in the Game 4 loss to the Knicks, when Tatum couldn’t get up, that affected Celtics fans’ psyche. Hurts even. For eight years, Tatum has been a constant for the Celtics, playing in more than 90% of games. But he’ll be shelved for the long term due to his ruptured right Achilles tendon, slamming this Celtics core’s contending window shut. In the short term, at the very least, the C’s need to play the Knicks in an elimination Game 5 without their star on the court.
There’s something about Jayson Tatum of all players being sidelined for so long due to injury. He’s never had a major injury in his career before this one. A bone bruise in his right wrist forced him to sit Game 2 against the Magic, the first time he missed a playoff game in his career. Tune into any consequential Celtics game over the past eight seasons and there was Tatum, either as a rookie in the East Finals or a veteran lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy.
The city of Boston watched him grow up. In turn, Tatum is Boston’s guy. He grew up at TD Garden and embraced the Celtics culture. In an era of rampant NBA player movement, that’s rare. He was 19 years old when drafted with his son, Deuce, still not born yet. He got to learn from the likes of Al Horford and other veterans, navigating his NBA career and how to be a professional basketball player.
But being the face of the Boston Celtics, the winningest franchise in the NBA, is a double-edged sword. There’s no better path to sports immortality than winning a title in this city. On the flip side, the hate reaches almost-concerning levels. After dropping Games 1 and 2 to the Knicks, the critics were more than happy to come out and pounce when they sensed a weakness.
Tatum put all of the detractors into context, though, after their Game 3 win in New York. Realistically, he’s heard it all. Following the 2022 NBA Finals, when Tatum and the Celtics failed on the grand stage, it was an outpouring of criticism from fans and media alike. Tatum and fellow running mate Jaylen Brown heard it all as they grew up with the Celtics as plenty of people wondered aloud if the star wing duo could win a title.
But Tatum is already stamped in Boston — he’s a champion. That’s something that can’t be taken away from him. He’s also never shied away from lofty dreams, including trying to catch the legendary Celtics in front of him like Larry Bird or Bill Russell. When it comes to homegrown superstars, it’s difficult to find a better example than Tatum.
There will be question marks going forward in what could end up as a franchise-altering injury. It’s still too early to say. The wounds and emotions are still raw just hours removed from Tatum crumpling to the floor. The future has yet to be written; it also falls on the front office to navigate the upcoming uncertainty.
In the meantime, Celtics fans will hope for the best for Tatum. At this point, that’s really all that can be done. He’s expected to make a full recovery. When Tatum is back on the court for the first time after this injury, the love he’ll feel from the fans will be genuine. It remains to be seen how long it will take for him to recover then get back to his All-NBA self. Until then, Celtics fans will wait for their champ to get back on the court.