“I think everybody’s concerned with Jayson. I’m not sure how bad it is. Didn’t look great. But I think everybody is kind of more concerned with that” said Jaylen Brown recently. As if losing to the New York Knicks 3-1 in the playoffs wasn’t bad enough, now the Boston Celtics have to deal with the fact that their star player is down with a major ailment.

As footage emerged of Tatum going down after a non-contact injury, and capturing his face in pain as he was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair, the hearts of Celtics fans everywhere would have sunk. Shortly, the injury was deemed serious enough that the player had to undergo immediate surgery.

Amidst all this, fans want nothing but updates about the player. For them, from the looks of things, the recovery period can take a lot more than just a one-game gap period.

When and where did Jayson Tatum get surgery?

According to a report by ‘The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Jayson Tatum’s injury was recently confirmed to be a right Achilles’ tendon rupture. The player underwent testing on Tuesday morning, which led to this revelation. The decision to operate was made immediately since, as past incidents have taught us, making immediate decisions about procedures after Achilles’ injuries is the better option in terms of recovery.

While the update about Tatum’s surgery has been widely covered, no details, unfortunately, have been released about where the Celtics star got the procedure done from. It also hasn’t been revealed whether the player had to travel back to Boston for the surgery, or whether the facilities at New York, which the Celtics team was visiting to play at Madison Square Garden, were enough to take care of the player.

What is Jayson Tatum’s recovery timeline?

As of now, the Boston Celtics have not released an official timeline for Jayson Tatum’s recovery. With Game 5 against the New York Knicks looming, fans and analysts alike will be watching closely — and any update from the team is likely to surface as tip-off draws nearer.

Adam Himmelsbach reported that Tatum is expected to make a full recovery. Plus, players who have suffered similar injuries are reportedly sidelined for typically one season. Meanwhile, Dr. Gregory Waryasz, an orthopedic surgeon, said the Celtics star is likely in for a 9-12-month recovery period. He made this assumption even before looking at Tatum’s MRI.

“The Achilles is the main tendon in the lower leg below the knee. It connects the calf muscles to the heel bone and allows you to push off,” Waryasz explained. “Initial recovery [of a rupture] is a couple of weeks of non weight-bearing, followed by prolonged time in a boot – usually three months. Then you start working on functional recovery and then start to return to sports activities after five months”.

Despite the uncertainty, we know one thing from these updates. Jayson Tatum will sadly not be available for Game 5. Neither will he be available for any future games in this tournament. That is, only if the Celtics squad, by some miracle, make it past the Knicks and heads to the Conference Finals. Thus ends the season journey of the defending champion and the 2K25 cover player, not to be seen on the NBA court again till at least late October.

Which surgeon treated Jayson Tatum?

Jayson Tatum had reportedly visited the Hospital for Special Surgery back in September 2019. At that time, he was treated by Dr. Answorth Allen. He was listed as an orthopaedic surgeon. Therefore, if he is still associated with the hospital, he might have been among the people who took care of the player, right?

How can the Celtics proceed without Jayson Tatum on the court?

According to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, the Celtics could replace Tatum by putting more size on the court. This would allow protection at the rim, at the expense of their own shooting. If Boston can get the Knicks’ offense back in the mud, that could allow for enough scoring, from the Celtics’ side, to win three consecutive games and pull off an improbable comeback. In Game 2 of the Celtics-Magic series, veteran Al Horford was selected to replace Tatum in the starting lineup. He could be asked to do the same again. As of now, no official news on Tatum’s replacement has been given.

Losing Jayson Tatum is surely a massive blow to Boston’s bid for back-to-back titles this postseason. Not having him next season could usher in some major changes to the Celtics in the offseason as well. No matter what, the coming months can be pretty daunting for the Celtics, even if they will be in the postseason. As for Jayson Tatum, all we can hope as fans is that he makes a swift recovery. After all, he still has quite a lot to prove on the court.