Refer to cases such as KD and Clay! Data expert: The Rabbit may miss the entire next season

May 15th Celtics star Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his fourth game to the New York Knicks and was reimbursed for the season. Recently, ESPN data expert Kevin Pelton discussed Tatum's injury and the possibility of his return in an article.

Kevin Pelton believes that no NBA player has made a comeback within 10 and a half months after a ruptured Achilles tendon since 2019, indicating that the Celtics should be prepared for Tatum's absence from the entire 2025-26 regular season, whose playoff comeback is more realistic, but there is basically no precedent.

The only NBA player who has returned from the playoffs after a long season injury is Larry Christoviak, who played for the Bucks in 1991. He underwent an ACL repair surgery and played three games after his comeback, scoring two points in total. Christoviak was a starter before being injured and was selected into the first team of the NBA All-NBA team, and the returns after his comeback were very different.

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were both injured in the 2019 NBA Finals. People had discussed the issue of a playoff comeback next season, but neither of them could be achieved in the end. The Golden State Warriors' 2019-20 season was already over when Thompson was able to make a comeback -- and later, he suffered another Achilles tendon rupture in a temporary offseason game. Meanwhile, Durant chose not to participate in the 2020 Nets' rematch in the park and returned at the beginning of the 2020-21 season after a year and a half after a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Based on such historical experience, Kevin Pelton said that the Boston Celtics may think Tatum will not play at all, even in the playoffs.