Jayson Tatum Meets Teammates After Achilles Surgery Ahead of Game 6

NEW YORK — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is recovering from successful surgery on his ruptured right Achilles tendon. Tatum was released from a New York hospital earlier this week and met with his teammates at their hotel on Thursday ahead of Game 6 against the New York Knicks.

Tatum sustained the injury during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, in which the Celtics lost 121-113. Now, the Celtics are in a must-win situation as they attempt to force a Game 7.

“It sucks to see someone go down like that who doesn’t deserve it,” Celtics guard Sam Hauser said during Friday’s shootaround. “But he wouldn’t want more than us to just keep winning. We saw him yesterday; he seems to be in good spirits.”

The 27-year-old All-Star is expected to undergo a lengthy recovery, potentially taking up to nine months before he can return to the court. This timeline echoes the situation faced by Kevin Durant, who missed the entire 2019–20 NBA season after a similar injury.

Despite Tatum’s absence, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard said the visit from their teammate was uplifting. “We didn’t talk about basketball at all. That stuff is bigger than basketball now,” Pritchard remarked. “It’s just seeing how he is as a person.”

The Celtics currently trail the Knicks 3-2 in the series. A win in Friday’s game would force a decisive Game 7 in Boston on Monday night. If Boston loses, their season will come to an end.