Celtics' Jayson Tatum Has Surgery on Ruptured Achilles Injury, Return Timetable TBD

The Boston Celtics announced that Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.

Tatum underwent successful surgery on Tuesday and is expected to make a full recovery, but no timeline has been announced for his return.

ESPN's Shams Charania previously explained on SportsCenter that the Celtics were "bracing for the worst" as they waited for his MRI results to come back.

"The Boston Celtics are bracing for the worst around Jayson Tatum and that right foot," Charania said. "He underwent an MRI today in New York City and the Celtics, since last night, have been expecting a severe injury for Tatum."

Tatum suffered the non-contact injury late in the fourth quarter of Boston's 121-113 loss to the Knicks on Monday night. He had to be carried off the court and was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters after the game that Tatum suffered a "lower-body injury" and would undergo an MRI on Tuesday.

Tatum was having his best game of this postseason before the injury. He put up 42 points on 16-of-28 shooting with eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in 40 minutes.

Replacing Tatum in the starting lineup for Game 5 will be the first order of business for Mazzulla. Kristaps Porziņģis, who has come off the bench for the past three games, could be back in the starting five. Payton Pritchard could also get the nod if Mazzulla wants more three-point shooting.

There is no one-for-one replacement on the roster given all the ways Tatum impacts the game. He led the Celtics in scoring average (26.8), rebounds (8.7) and assists (6.0) during the regular season.

The Celtics have to win their final three games against the Knicks to keep their season alive if they hope to repeat.