Eerie Pattern Emerges For NBA Players Who Suffered a Torn Achilles in Playoffs

There has been an unfortunate pattern among players who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the NBA Playoffs. 

After the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Donte DiVincenzo was diagnosed with a torn Achilles during Game 4 of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, the last four players who suffered the same fate have worn a No. 0 jersey. 

The last player who nursed the same injury was Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the eventual champions OKC Thunder last year. 

Before him was Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter of  Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Tatum has since returned after 10 months of rehabilitation and is now back in the playoffs with the Celtics. 

Last year also saw Damian Lillard pick up the same injury during Round 1 when he was still playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. Lillard missed the rest of the series, where the Bucks lost to the Pacers. 

Lillard has yet to play since the injury. He was waived during the last offseason before signing with the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that is now playing against the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference playoffs.

All of the players picked up the injury without any contact with other players. 

Players who have suffered a torn Achilles tendon usually return to high-impact activities after 9 to 12 months of recovery. 

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Timberwolves Head Coach Reacts to DiVicenzo’s Achilles Injury

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch expressed immense sadness after seeing his player Donte DiVincenzo come down with a torn Achilles injury. 

After zooming to a commanding 3-1 lead against the Nuggets, Finch got emotional discussing DiVicenzo’s injury, emphasizing how big an impact he is to the Timberwolves. 

“I feel completely devastated for Donte. He was playing so well,” Finch said. “He’s had such a great season. He’s the heart [and] soul of so many things that we do. You can just see the look 

in his eye when it happened, and you kind of knew. We love him and we’ll be there for him.”

Finch immediately called a timeout to check on DiVincenzo, who looked stoic after feeling a pop in his right foot. He left the game via wheelchair. 

DiVincenzo played 31 minutes in Games 1 and 2, where he scored 12 and 16 points, respectively. In Game 3, he had 15 points and seven assists in 33 minutes of playing time. 

DiVincenzo made 15 3-pointers in the first three games of the series. 

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Physical Therapist Speaks on NBA Player’s Achilles Injuries

In an ESPN report last year, a physical therapist and University of Delaware professor Karin Gravare Silbernagel said that there should be a better understanding of Achilles injury. 

“At this point, we need to start thinking about the calf and Achilles in the same way,” she said. She also questioned if players’ lower leg can keep up with the pace of today’s game. 

 “Do we have enough strength … to be able to tolerate the sport that we’re doing? The lower leg is lagging behind some of the other things that we do,” she added. 

Over the past few years, fans have noticed an increase in NBA players’ lower leg injuries, especially towards the end of every NBA season. 

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