Which story of NBA Achilles injuries suggested for Jayson Tatum

The Celtics confirmed the worst for Jayson Tatum for Jayson Tatum on Tuesday. Therefore, for Boston fans it is natural to find out what it means for his career.

Tatum was successfully operated on to repair a broken Achilles tendon with broken law. The 27-year-old suffered the injury at the end of the fourth quarter of defeat 4 against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Monday.

There was no schedule for a return within the update. However, the history of injury indicates a 10-month recovery phase, which means that Tatum would miss the entire 2025-26 season. There would be hope for a return in the 2026 post season, but there is no precedent.

Kevin Durant is an example of Tatum's situation. The two-time champion suffered an Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA final and had maintained its production as an all-NBA star after a season. The key to Tatum is that Durant's workload was heavily managed. This is a reality that Tatum needs to get used to.

But what about other NBA players? Several studies tell different stories about how well athletes do after an Achilles injury, but it is important to put these examples into the context.

Kobe Bryant and Chauncey Billups came to mind. The all-stars suffered their Achilles injuries after turning 34. Your career could have taken longer – you played two more seasons before you retired – but it is more likely that you were on the way out of the league.

The same applies to Demarcus Cousins ​​and Anderson Varejao. The injuries to the great men have not done a favor. However, their play styles had ended their NBA career earlier than they had wanted, and the 3-point revolution took over the league when they returned from their respective Achilles injuries.

Rudy Gay and Wes Matthews could be warning stories for Tatum. Matthews remarkably came back from his Achilles injury in seven months. Gay came back earlier than expected. The only other player who did it was JJ Barea, but he was already at the end of his career. Matthews was under 30 and an above-average role player and Gay was an all-star caliber player. However, this fast recovery time might have affected its ability to regain explosiveness that they had and restricted their career ceiling.

Brandon Jennings could be an outlier who could mess up some studies. He suffered his Achilles injury at the age of 26. While he was tragic, he was already on the way out of the league after not living up an outstanding rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks. He could certainly have turned things around. However, his playing style did not match the trends of the league in the mid -2010s.

What is clear about the trends of the Achilles injuries is the loss of explosiveness. This has the career of Elton Brand and what Dominique Wilkins made another player in the mid -1990s. It is probably not a career injury, since those who shortened their career were more likely to be due to the developing trends of the NBA.

However, Celtics fans should not be surprised if Tatum's career looks different after his Achilles injury. He may have to play fewer games and less minutes. Maybe he may have to rely more on his jump shot. Whether he can still lead Boston to another championship depends on what the squad looks like when he returns.