Tatum was injured during the fourth quarter of Monday’s Game 4 loss to the Knicks, with his leg giving out as he attempted to corral a loose ball. The Celtics star could not put any weight on his leg while being helped to the locker room, and the worst fears have officially been realized. Not only will Tatum miss the remainder of this playoff series, which Boston trails 3-1, but he’ll likely miss most of the 2025-26 season. One would expect Kristaps Porzingis to return to the starting lineup in the short term, and the Celtics have serious long-term questions to answer following Tatum’s injury.

After back-to-back subpar performances late in Games 1 and 2 that saw the Celtics fall behind 2-0 in the series, Tatum stepped up in a must-win situation in Game 3. The 27-year-old power forward led the Celtics in minutes, rebounds, assists and three-pointers as Boston won going away in Game 3. The Celtics didn’t have to deal with the Knicks in a late and close situation as they won by 22 points. Boston will now have a chance to even the series in Game 4 on Monday night.

The positive outlook is that Tatum is averaging 15 rebounds per game in this series and contributing as a playmaker and a defender. The negative (and honest) outlook is that he hasn’t been the dominant scorer that Boston has needed him to be. Though he gave them a late lead with a dunk, he couldn’t get a shot off with a chance to win it on the final play. Now, his team is down 0-2 and will head to New York for Games 3 and 4. If Boston is going to repeat as champions, Tatum is going to have to step up his game.