Coming into the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics were being picked by many people to reach the NBA Finals, if not win the world championship.
They were, of course, the defending champs, and they were looking to win their first back-to-back titles since Bill Russell and company did so in 1969.
But the leprechauns were asleep on the job during the postseason, as franchise player Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in the Celtics' stunning second-round defeat against the New York Knicks. He is expected to miss most, if not all, of this coming season as a result.
After undergoing surgery, he is moving along in his rehab process, as he posted a video of himself on Instagram walking in a swimming pool.
Jayson Tatum shows snippet of his rehab efforts.
Jayson Tatum, Instagram
Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists a game during the regular season and earned his sixth straight All-Star nod while being named to the All-NBA First Team. After some hiccups in midwinter, the Celtics got hot after the All-Star break and seemed to be headed to the winner's circle once again.
But they stumbled right away in the second round of the playoffs and lost the first two games at home to the gritty New York Knicks. Boston won Game 3, leaving open the possibility of a comeback, but it lost Game 4 after Tatum suffered his injury late in the fourth quarter.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0)
Credit: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The 2025-26 season is already looking like a gap year for Boston. It traded away guard Jrue Holiday and big man Kristaps Porzingis, two major contributors to its championship team from a year ago, as it looks to trim its payroll moving forward.
