Jayson Tatum Reacts to Missing Celtics' Game 7 With ‘Unfortunate' Injury

The Celtics held a 3-1 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers, which soon became a 3-2 lead, and then a tied series, heading back to Boston, and most fans believe it shouldn’t have ever gone to Game 7.

However, it did, and the Celtics had to play a full-powered 76ers squad as Jayson Tatum could only watch his teammates and offer support from the sidelines. The multi-time All-Star was seated on the bench in the crucial Game 7, due to the team choosing to hold him out with knee stiffness.

Tatum participated in all of the other games of this first-round Eastern Conference series, but his sitting out this one was considered the right move by many. He suffered a brutal torn Achilles tendon injury in last year’s postseason, which resulted in surgery and a grueling rehab.

He returned to play 16 games in the regular season as his team was already a strong playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.

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That’s something that many other athletes may not have done. And despite playing most of this series, Tatum was likely disappointed he couldn’t be on the court for his teammates with their postseason on the line on Saturday.

“It was just kind of tough because rehab was just going so well the entire time. I guess it was inevitable at some point that I was gonna have to deal with something, and it just kind of came at the worst possible time,” he told reporters after the game.

He called this situation “a little to be expected” after being away from basketball for 10 months and returning to play 36 or 40 minutes every other day.

Tatum had an impressive return this past season, averaging 21.8 points, a career-best 10 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game for Boston. He participated in the first six games of the Celtics’ first-round playoff series, averaging 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game.

His contributions helped his squad build the 3-1 series lead. And while he may have wanted to participate in Game 7, it didn’t make sense for the Celtics to risk their superstar after all the progress he had made in his rehab and return.

However, one also can’t overlook the fact that Tatum was in the lineup for two other close-out games, one of which was in Boston, and his team couldn’t get the job done against a determined Philadelphia 76ers team.

Read more:Tyrese Maxey Makes Honest Jayson Tatum Admission After Win Over Celtics

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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 5:35 PM.