Jayson Tatum’s Injury Appears To Signal End Of An Era For Celtics

The Boston Celtics have hit some roadblocks in recent seasons, but nothing has come close to what they’re about to face.

Jayson Tatum, who was amid a signature playoff performance, went down with what looks to be a career-altering injury in a gut-wrenching loss in Game 4 against the New York Knicks on Monday.

Tatum went scrambling for a loose ball with about three minutes left in the contest, and after planting on his right leg, went down to the floor with a non-contact leg injury. It’s a play that the notoriously durable superstar has been involved in hundreds of times, though something clearly changed this time around, as he writhed on the court in pain before being helped off by a pair of team employees. ESPN’s broadcast then showed him with both hands covering his face while being pushed in a wheelchair to an examination room at Madison Square Garden.

What does that mean for Boston? It’s likely the end of an era for the C’s.

Tatum hasn’t been diagnosed with anything as of Tuesday morning, but if things are as bad as they look, one play could alter the outlook of the franchise altogether — as well as its superstar’s career.

The Celtics were already facing uncertainty entering this summer, as keeping the current roster intact would cost roughly $500 million, including luxury taxes, whether they won or lost the championship. It’s been the popular belief that things were going to change no matter what happened in the postseason. Al Horford is set to hit free agency shortly after he turns 39. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis haven’t been able to stay healthy consistently, and when they are on the court, had instances where they look a step slower than last season.

Can you truly expect those three players, who make up half of a championship core, to be the same when Tatum gets back to full strength?

No, and neither will incoming owner Bill Chisholm.

The Celtics’ future chances didn’t just plummet with the injury. Jaylen Brown is still one of the best players in the world, while Derrick White is more than capable of stepping up and helping anchor things both offensively and defensively. Payton Pritchard’s bench scoring shouldn’t slow down any time soon, while there is room for other rotational players (Baylor Scheierman, Neemias Queta) to step into greater roles. Porzingis and Holiday could fetch decent enough returns if they were shipped off this offseason.

Tatum’s injury, however, likely won’t be able to keep the club from experiencing some unfamiliar lows.

Tatum took pride in never missing time, playing more minutes than anyone else in the entire NBA since 2017 — and hadn’t missed a single postseason game in his career before a hard fall in the first round forced him to miss one against the Orlando Magic. Team USA also came calling for both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, and whad’ya know, he was on both of those teams, as well.

“I only get to go to Charlotte two times a year. Somebody paid their money to watch me play,” Tatum once famously told a group of young basketball players. “… Big game (or) not big game, compete, play basketball. Don’t take this (expletive) for granted.”

The Celtics, after watching their iron man go down with an injury that might keep him sidelined into 2026-27, were just given a harsh reminder of that exact outlook.

You can’t take this (expletive) for granted, because one day you wake up expecting to go back-to-back and go to bed preparing for the future.