Monday night's loss to the New York Knicks was devastating for the Boston Celtics and their fans. Not only did the Celtics lose the game and now trail 3-1 heading into a do-or-die Game 5, they lost their leader, Jayson Tatum, to a non-contact injury in what many are believing to be a torn achilles.
Tatum was in the midst of his best game of these playoffs for Boston, providing the majority of the Celtics offense with a 42 point, 8 rebound, 4 assist effort. He made 7-16 three point attempts, also adding 4 steals and 2 blocks in 40 minutes before the injury.
Tatum would not put any weight on his right foot after agonizing in pain on the floor. He would then have to get assisted into the tunnel and then wheelchaired after.
More details will be revealed relating to Tatum's injury on Tuesday, as coach Mazzulla stated that the Celtics star will undergo an MRI. For now, all signs point to Tatum being out for the remainder of this season and most, if not all, of next season.
Tatum has appeared in at least 64 games for the Celtics in every season of his eight-year career, adding to the devastation for fans. He's become adored by Celtic fans and is known to many as the face of Boston sports, providing the city with an NBA title last season.
In hopes that the Tatum injury isn't as serious as it looked, the Celtics will continue to fight and play for their injured star. Wednesday night's Game 5 in Boston could mark the end of the Celtics title defense, or it could spark an unthinkable comeback from being down 3-1.
Win or lose on Wednesday night, this Celtics big man is playing himself out of Boston in this series against the Knicks. For what the team is paying him, he has been a non-factor during this whole second-round matchup.
Kristaps Porzingis Will Be Gone This Offseason If Boston Loses Game 5
As many Celtics have struggled against the Knicks, Porzingis has failed to show up in a prime revenge spot against the team that drafted him. He's battling a mystery illness that's been affecting him throughout these playoffs.
After starting all five games against the Magic and Game 1 against New York, Porzingis has come off the bench in the previous four games for Boston.
The big man has played in all nine games of the postseason thus far, but he looks like a completely different player. Averaging a measly 8.9 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 33.3% from the field and 13.6% from three, Porzingis isn't playing like a $30 million per year player.
It's evident that the illness is getting to Porzingis, who's allowed a plethora of offensive rebounds, missed open layups and failed to protect the rim against the Knicks.
Last postseason, Porzingis appeared in only 7 of 16 games during Boston's title run. He was good when he played, averaging 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds across 23.6 minutes of action.
The recurring theme with Porzingis is his injury woes. He's missed 65 regular season games since coming to Boston, in an effort for Mazzulla to have him available for the postseason. But when he doesn't perform up to standards in the postseason, then what is the point exactly?
The Celtics, expecting no Jayson Tatum for the majority, if not all of next season, are projected to be paying $227 million to their players in 2025-26, with Porzingis receiving $30.7 million. Sam Hauser's contract extension will kick in, and he will be making $10 million or more for the next four seasons. Jrue Holiday will be making $32 million or more for the next three seasons.
Questions will center around Al Horford, who's set to become a free agent this offseason shortly after turning 39, and Luke Kornet, who's also hitting the open market after an impressive past two seasons in Boston.
All three centers, Porzingis, Horford and Kornet, have a questionable future in Boston. It could be a guessing game for fans to predict who will be starting at the five come next October.
The easiest way to shed some salary would be to trade Porzingis. Now, it might be harder for the Celtics to find a suitor given his hefty contract and injury concerns, but they should leave all options available. He'll be 29 by the time of next season and is a valuable contributor on both sides when healthy.
If Kristaps can show some signs of life throughout the rest of the series against New York, that would be a positive. But that doesn't mean he would be exempt from any trade talks this offseason, especially given the Celtics cap situation and new ownership stepping in.
Another possible trade candidate is Jrue Holiday, who's seen his offensive production go down approaching his 35th birthday in June. He and Porzingis will be two names to watch this offseason, and the team will head into a summer filled with question marks if they can't save their season on Wednesday.