'Tough Pill to Swallow,' Jayson Tatum Talks Knee Injury After Celtics' NBA Playoff Loss to 76ers

Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum was forced to watch from the sidelines as his team got eliminated from the playoffs in the first round after suffering a 109-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 on Saturday night.

Tatum spoke to reporters on Sunday about the knee injury that kept him out of Saturday night's game, calling it "a tough pill to swallow" for him to end the season on the bench.

Tatum, who had recovered from a torn Achilles suffered in last year's playoffs to return in less than a year, described his knee injury as "tightness." He acknowledged that he feels it was "inevitable" for him to deal with an issue after taking on a full workload in his return to the court.

Tatum made it clear that his injury wouldn't have kept him off the court if the Celtics had advanced to the second round of the playoffs, calling it "a day-to-day thing."

Despite the disappointing end, Tatum told reporters that he's "proud" of how he was able to make it back to the court and continue performing at a high level after last year's devastating injury.

Tatum and the Celtics will try to regroup this offseason as they gear up to return to title contention in 2026-27, and he will certainly be hoping to stay healthy next year.