Jayson Tatum's torn Achilles will have a profound impact on the Boston Celtics, but it could also change the landscape of the entire NBA.

Boston's title defense ended in the second round of the 2025 playoffs as it fell to a scrappy New York team in six games. Looming larger than the series loss was the loss of Jayson Tatum, who underwent surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered at the end of Game 4.

It's hard to believe things could've gotten any worse for the Boston Celtics. As if gifting the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the New York Knicks wasn't egregious enough, Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles in the final minutes of Game 4.