The Boston Celtics are off to a strong 7-1 start, but one of their stars has been dealing with some injury issues as of late.
Jaylen Brown, who took home Finals MVP in June and has averaged over 20 points in five straight seasons, has missed Boston's last two games while dealing with an injury. He tweaked his hip in the Celtics' win over the Hornets last Friday, still totaling 25 points in 37 minutes as Boston claimed a 124-109 victory. However, he's been sidelined since.
Brown told The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn over the weekend that the left hip flexor injury that kept him out of Saturday night’s 113-103 Celtics victory has been lingering for a few weeks. Brown said the injury dates back to training camp. He had an MRI on the flexor two weeks ago that diagnosed a strain, and plans to have another after feeling worse the past few days.
“I got an MRI in training camp and it’s been back and forth since then,” Brown said. “[Friday] I think I extended it a little more, and it’s already been giving me some trouble. I’m going to have to get another MRI and go from there.”
The Celtics have been relatively healthy during this early season besides Kristaps Porzingis. Several clubs have been besieged with early-season injuries, with the latest Orlando — All-Star Paolo Banchero will miss at least a month with an oblique injury.
Brown could not promise he would return for Monday’s game in his native Atlanta.
“I haven’t felt like my legs have been underneath me, dealing with this hip flexor,” he said. “It’s more [affecting] my explosion and my burst. And then, mentally, trying to figure that out as well. Thinking about it kind of throws everything off a little bit, but I’ll be fine.”
“Not concerned,” Mazzulla said on The Sports Hub. “He‘s day-to-day. It’s a strain. He’s working really hard in treatment every day and just kind of working to get back at it. Not concerned, and I don’t think he is either.”
Still, the absence of Brown stands as a tough break for the Celtics with the 6-1 Warriors coming to town. Brown is averaging 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game over his six appearances this season.
The Celtics should be bolstered on Wednesday with Jayson Tatum set for a rematch against Kerr and the Warriors.
While Tatum (30.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists) is already playing at an MVP level out of the gate this season, he’ll have plenty of motivation going up against Kerr — especially after the Warriors’ head coach benched Tatum twice during the 2024 Summer Olympics.
With the news that Jaylen Brown’s hip flexor injury will keep him out of at least one more contest, I wanted to examine how the team’s attack changes without him on the floor. Brown’s injury has clearly been impacting his play (his field goal percentages are far worse from nearly everywhere on the court), so hopefully, some rest will do him good.
However, the show goes on. If you include last year, we have a pretty good sample of how the team’s style changes without Brown, so let’s break it down.
Throughout his career, one of the Celtics' top benefits of having Brown has been his durability. He's played in at least 57 games in every season of his career, consistently on the court for Boston as a go-to scoring threat and strong defender alongside Jayson Tatum.
Brown’s head-down drives to the basket are a vital source of Celtics offense, particularly on the rare nights the three-pointer isn’t falling. In the playoffs, having as many ways to score as possible remains paramount. But for the regular season, we have ample evidence to suggest that the team can survive without him for short spurts.
