Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum suffered a right leg injury late in Game 4 against the New York Knicks, and sports medicine physician Dr. Brian Sutterer has expressed serious concern about a potential Achilles tendon rupture.
Sutterer shared his analysis on YouTube shortly after the incident, calling it “a very significant injury” based on the non-contact mechanism and Tatum’s immediate reaction.
“This is going to be an Achilles tendon injury until proven otherwise,” Sutterer said, pointing to the way Tatum’s right foot dorsiflexed as he stepped backward—putting the tendon under stress just before he attempted to push off.
The doctor noted that Tatum’s movement mirrored the mechanism often associated with Achilles tears, referencing a similar scenario involving Damian Lillard.
“We don’t see a clear view of the calf muscle recoil,” Sutterer explained, “but the eccentric load on the Achilles in that dorsiflexed position is highly concerning.”
“That dorsiflexed ankle position stretches the Achilles tendon, and then as he goes to explode and push off, you get additional load going through it,” he said.
He added that the specific area where Tatum grabbed—near the Achilles—further supports the possibility of a tendon rupture rather than a calf strain.
“If this were something more mild like a calf strain, we would expect to see the grab up here more at the gastrocnemius,” Sutterer said, referencing the upper portion of the calf.
The mid-portion of the Achilles tendon, known as a “watershed” zone due to reduced blood flow, is most vulnerable during such explosive motions, according to Sutterer.
In the locker room, the Celtics’ medical team likely administered the Thompson test to check for Achilles integrity and may have used ultrasound for confirmation.
“If we don’t hear anything immediately tonight, that’s a good sign,” Sutterer said, “but concern of course is for an Achilles.”
Tatum had scored 42 points before going down with 2:58 remaining, as Boston fell 121-113 and now trails 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Celtics face elimination and could be without their leading scorer, depending on the diagnosis, which the team has not yet officially released.
