Jayson Tatum was in ‘dark place’ after crushing injury vs. Knicks

The days after Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles, suddenly complicating his ever-bright NBA future, left a mark on the Celtics’ superstar.

“I was in a dark place,” Tatum told Sports Illustrated.

Tatum told the outlet he would wake up in the middle of the night and just stare at his right foot, thinking of how his life had changed during Game 4 of the second-round series loss to the Knicks.

“Just wondering how this could happen to me,” he said.

Tatum is now four-plus months past his career — and franchise-altering injury. The 27-year-old and he took an important step Monday by participating in his first on-court workout since the setback, per SI.

It’s certainly possible that Tatum misses all of — if not the entire — 2025-26 season while rehabbing, especially with the Celtics retooling their roster from contender to one in transition.

“It was the best feeling in the world,” Tatum told the publication of the workout. “It reminded me that I’m still a basketball player.”

Tatum suffered the fateful injury during Game 4 at Madison Square Garden while attempting to lead the Celtics back from a deficit and a 2-1 series hole.

He went after a loose ball but his leg gave out, and he held his right leg while in agonizing pain on the floor before being helped off the court.

The Celtics ultimately lost Game 4, won Game 5 in a rout and then got destroyed without him in the Knicks’ Game 6 clincher at MSG.

“For me, it’s like I had headphones on,” Tatum said. “I heard it pop and I knew as soon as I fell on the floor.”

He added: “It was just like, ‘Oh, my God, I cannot believe this just happened.’ It was just kind of like my whole basketball career kind of flashed in front of my eyes.”

Tatum even wondered what it meant for his Celtics future.

While he is one of the best players in the world and has been the face of the Celtics during his eight years, this injury could result in him being a different player.

Tatum agreed to a five-year, $314 million contract extension last July, the largest deal in NBA history, but teams have made shocking trades to move on from players, such as the Mavericks dealing Luka Doncic.

“All perspective and reality goes out the window in that moment,” Tatum told the site. “I know they love me, but they might feel like, ‘Yo, we got to move on.’ That really went through my mind. That this might have been the last time I wear this uniform.”

The Celtics did not go that route, but instead traded away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to get under the second apron with a roster that is likely not a true contender.

“It’s weird because obviously I know it’s not my fault, I couldn’t have done anything to change it, but you can’t help but understand or acknowledge that moment kind of changed the direction of what we were trying to do,” Tatum said. “Obviously with (the) second apron and all the things like that, they had decisions to make, but it was just like, man.”

Tatum had the surgery the day after his injury, providing him with the optimal recovery timeline.

That moment also broke him emotionally.

“And I just broke down crying,” Tatum said. “I was like, ‘There’s no way.’ This time yesterday I was trying to win a playoff game, and now it’s like I’m about to have surgery. But I’m thankful that I did at that time and I think it’s been very instrumental to my recovery thus far.”

Tatum has since connected with others who suffered the same injury and expressed optimism about his future, and said Kevin Durant has served as inspiration.

He’s not committing to returning this upcoming season, even while he said that he feels stronger than he ever has and this is the best his body has felt.

“I haven’t said I’m coming back, and I haven’t said that I’m not,” Tatum said. “It’s for a couple of different reasons. For me to say, ‘Yo, I’m not coming back this year,’ I don’t know. I need something to look forward to. Going to the rehab every single day, I need a goal or something that I’m trying to chase. And I might not come back this year, but I need to feel like I’m attacking something, I’m working towards something.