Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett sent Jayson Tatum a heartwarming message after the superstar's crushing injury against the New York Knicks. It's been a brutal 24 hours for the defending champs. It was a back-and-forth affair on Monday with Tatum was having one of the best games of his career in Game 4 against a formidable Knicks team. Tragically, the six-time All-Star tore his Achilles late in the fourth quarter in a bitter blow to both the Celtics and the NBA as a whole.
Regardless of how this series goes from now on, this news has likely completely reshaped the Celtics' future. Garnett, who has been a staunch supporter of Tatum throughout his career, paid his respects to the face of the franchise in an Instagram post.
The Celtics will likely have to drastically reshape their roster around their two stars
Tatum's performance on Monday was extraordinary on both ends. The four-time All-Pro put up 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks in his 40 minutes of play. Jayson was the main reason Boston was still in the game amid a furious Knicks third and fourth quarter, which saw them score 70 points total, and no one else outside of Derrick White really had it going from the field. Even with a Celtics loss, it was an absolute redemption performance for Tatum that shut down false narratives of the superstar shrinking in the playoffs.
Now, the 27-year-old has a long road to recovery to return to where he was on Monday. With that, Boston is going to have to make a lot of decisions regarding its remaining core. Even with a title this year, the Celtics front office was going to have a ton of difficult decisions this offseason. The franchise is projected to cost more than $500 million with the current contracts on its roster. New ownership is coming in, and that, combined with the fact that this team is likely not a title contender without Tatum, will lead to drastic changes.
Al Horford is a free agent, Jrue Holiday is aging, and Kristaps Porzingis has not been reliable healthwise. It would not be a surprise if all three of those terrific role players are not on the team next season. Overall, though, while the news is bleak right now, Tatum and Jaylen Brown are still in their 20s. There is still time for the front office to surround these two with young, quality role players and gear up for more title runs.
In addition, the Celtics have not yet been eliminated for this season. This group still has a chance to play on Wednesday against the Knicks and show the heart of a champion. It's going to be difficult without the future Hall of Famer, but Boston still has the talent to give New York a lot of problems.
