Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla Shares Terse Response on Jayson Tatum's Brutal Injury in Game 4 Vs. New York Knicks 4 Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum suffered a leg injury during Game 4 of their second-round series against the New York Knicks.Credit: Getty Images

Boston Celtics: Renowned Doctor Shares 1 Eye-Opening Take on Jayson Tatum’s Brutal Achilles Injury

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated May 16, 2025 9:21 AM ET

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is in a much better position to recover from his torn Achilles because of the swift action of his medical team.

According to Dr. Lou Soslowsky, the founding director of the Penn Achilles Tendinopathy Center of Research Translation, undergoing surgery just a few hours after it happened will help the Boston Celtics star recover faster. Being 27 years old also works in Tatum’s advantage.

“Fifty percent of their time, they’re not in their home city, and the choice of which surgeon you’re going to have perform that operation is a conversation between the athlete, the agent, maybe the team, ownership, maybe colleagues or friends of the athlete,” he explained via SB Nation’s Noa Dalzell. “They begin then, and then, once you settle on the surgeon, depending on what city that surgeon is in, it’s often not in the city that you’re in. So, there’s some time involved there. And then that surgeon may have a clinic day that day, and they may not have an operating day until the next day or two days later.”

“Because this repair was within a day, those processes had only just begun, and with a surgical pair, the torn ends were put right back together before a lot of these adverse biologic effects occurred. And so the opportunity for a faster recovery really is present,” he added.

Boston Celtics News: Jayson Tatum not expected to return to the court soon

The Boston Celtics must adjust to life without Jayson Tatum, as the six-time NBA All-Star will need at least 12 months to recover from his Achilles tear. Most athletes normally go on a steep decline after recovering from such a traumatic injury, but Dr. Soslowsky likes Tatum’s chances to buck the trend.

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“One of the difficulties of Achilles tendon tear is that it’s difficult to remain to keep your cardiovascular levels high with an Achilles injury,” Soslowsky said. “Because you’re not running, you’re not riding a bike, you’re not doing anything for many months, and so even after the tear is healed, there’ll be some time before he’s ready to play at the level that he’s capable of playing.”

“The fact that he did choose a surgeon — and there was availability to operate on him so quickly — gives him an excellent shot at an earlier-than-average, high-level athlete return,” he concluded.