Jayson Tatum's torn Achilles tendon, without hyperbole, is among the most consequential injuries in NBA history. Kevin Durant comes to mind as a similarly gifted player to suffer such an injury, but he was almost 31 when he went down in the 2019 NBA Finals.

If a player is seriously injured, his team can apply for the disabled-player exception to replace him. An NBA-designed physician would have to determine that the player is “substantially more like than not” to be out through June 15 next season for it to be granted.

Without Jayson Tatum and well into the second apron, the Celtics find themselves in a bind next season. But, several members of the current roster believe if the Celtics ran it back, they’d once again be championship contenders.