Who can be reborn from the ashes? Take a look at the six NBA players who have suffered a major Achilles tendon injury this season, Tatum leads

As we all know, on the basketball court, injuries are always a setback that athletes cannot avoid. Even though the NBA has the most advanced training conditions and medical technology, many players still suffer from injuries every year. When it comes to injuries, what makes athletes most afraid of is that there is a problem with the Achilles tendon. Once the Achilles tendon ruptures, it is likely that the player's career will usher in an important turning point. For example, Kobe used to be completely ruined by this injury. Before he was injured in 2013, he averaged 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.4 steals per game that season, so he even made it to the All-A-Team after the end of the season. But after that, Kobe ushered in a cliff-like decline and eventually chose to retire in 2016.

However, not every player with a major Achilles tendon injury has declined as obviously like Kobe. For example, Durant in 2019 won at the age of young, so he still maintained an excellent competitive state after returning to the arena. He even played in the historical series performance in the 2021 playoffs. And just this season, as many as 6 players with formal contracts in the league suffered major Achilles tendon injuries. So let’s see who these players are and whether they still have hope of recovering!

6.Daron Holmes II

is the first one to be injured this season. As an NBA rookie, he was selected at the 22nd pick in the first round last year. Just three days after he signed a formal contract with the Nuggets, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the summer league, so he also announced reimbursement in the new season. In the previous season of the draft, Holmes, who played for Dayton University, averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, shooting 54.4% from the field and 38.6% from three-point shooting percentage.

22-year-old Holmes has shown his outstanding scoring ability in his college career. Although he is slow on the defensive end, fortunately, his defense is good in the interior, but if he wants to adapt to the NBA confrontation, he still has to improve his strength. Now that he is injured, Holmes's movement speed in the future will be even less anticipated. Fortunately, he is still young and his playing style is very suitable for playing around Jokic, so he still has the opportunity to have a place in the NBA in the future.

5. Wiseman

In 2020, Wiseman was selected by the Warriors at the second pick in the first round. He thought he would be the future of the team's inside line, but after he trained him for almost three seasons, he would definitely make progress. Moreover, at that time, Wiseman exposed his "glass man" traits. Due to a knee injury, he only played 39 regular season games in the previous two years. In the mid-2022-2023 season, Wiseman was traded to the Pistons. At that time, he once had a performance of 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, but he still broke away from the team's plan later. In order to continue to stay in the NBA in 2024, Wiseman signed a two-year minimum salary contract with the Pacers. This was originally his chance to prove himself. For example, Topin and Naismith both made a name for the Pacers, but unfortunately he was officially announced to have suffered a torn left Achilles tendon before the start of the game. Wiseman was traded to the Raptors this season, and then was cut. Although he is still only 24 years old, it is obvious that his probability of returning to the NBA is already very low.

4. When Isaiya Jackson

When he played for the Pacers in the past three years, although Jackson proved that his upper limit was not up to the starting level, he still had the ability to serve as a substitute center in some teams, after all, being able to run and jump, and being young can still attract some teams. In addition, Isaiya Jackson's inside shooting percentage was above 60% for two consecutive seasons, which is no longer low for a "jumping man" like him who is not mature enough in his skills, so he also has certain training value.

However, after a serious Achilles tendon injury, Jackson's athletic ability will definitely decline, which will greatly affect his value. He will become a free agent this offseason, and the Pacers will most likely not renew his contract directly, so how big the contract can be obtained depends on whether other teams are willing to bet once.

3. Dezhang Tamury

In 2018, Murray had a season-long reimbursement due to a torn cruciate ligament injury, but since then he has continued to improve and was selected as the All-Star in the 2021-2022 season. Murray was traded to the Pelicans this season. He missed a large number of games due to a fracture at the beginning of the season. After finally returning, his condition was obviously wrong. As the season deepened, he finally began to recover. As a result, he suffered a major Achilles tendon injury in the game against the Celtics. In the 12 games before this injury, Murray scored 20+ in 8 games, and scored at least 26 points in 6 of them.

The most important thing is that Murray suffered a right leg injury this time, which is the same leg as the last time the cruciate ligament tear. This is obviously very bad news. After experiencing consecutive major injuries, it is also a big problem whether his right leg can still bear the load of the NBA game. Therefore, even though Murray is only 28 years old, his future recovery prospects are still full of unknowns.

2. Lillard

As the oldest player on this list, Lillard is already 34 years old this season. He has suffered a result of an Achilles tendon injury at this stage of his career. Kobe was also 34 years old when he was injured. Whether it is physical fitness or his personal condition before the injury, he is obviously better than Lillard. In this way, it is difficult for you to imagine that Kobe Lillard can recover better in the future.

For a small guard like Lillard, losing explosive power means they have lost their foundation in the NBA. Their shooting environment was not good, and it was even more difficult to get rid of the defensive players after being injured.. The only good news now is that compared with 9 years ago, medical conditions have made great progress, so Lillard can only pin his hopes on it.

1.Tatum

Before this injury, Tatum was always ridiculed as the "active killer king". The reason is that when people think he is going to be injured or at least start to miss the game, he will return to the game with a strong strength. Moreover, as of now, Tatum has excellent attendance rates every season. In addition to the two shrinking seasons that year, he can play at least 70+ games in the regular season every year, and the Celtics play in the playoffs every year, so his load is very large.

Tatum has been playing more than 40 minutes in the playoffs for four consecutive years, and he has never missed the playoffs before this season, so even though he is only 27 years old, he has played in 121 playoffs. This injury is like a bolt from the blue for Tatum. Even if his dynamic talent is not good, this leads to him relying more on his shooting feel. If his physical fitness declines after the injury, his offense will definitely become more unstable in the future. Therefore, it is completely predictable that he will not be able to return to the top five of the league after that. Fortunately, he had surgery as soon as he was injured. Therefore, if he develops in a good direction, Tatum has the hope to continue to play as an All-Star after returning to the arena.