Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) yells while shooting as Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) tries to block during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
While the Celtics know Jaylen Brown won’t play Saturday against the Mavericks, they’re still “assessing” the severity of the All-Star’s injury. Boston coach Ime Udoka said after shootaround Saturday that they’ll know more Sunday once he goes through more testing.
Luckily for the C’s, they’ll have three days off after the Dallas game, next suiting up for a home game against the Bucks on Wednesday. That gives time for Brown to heal up that hamstring, but it’s unclear if or however much time he’ll miss because of the injury.
“Being cautious,” Udoka said of Brown. “It’s something he’s dealt with in the past. I think he’s had three or so over the last four years. So it’s something that he’s dealt with before. But he’s also bounced back pretty quickly.”
Udoka noted that hamstring issues are different depending on the person. But still, the Celtics are first waiting to see the severity of the injury.
Brown appeared to hurt the hamstring on the final play of the third quarter in Thursday’s win over the Heat. He had to head back to the locker room, where the Celtics said he wouldn’t return for the game. After an up-and-down start to the season coming back from COVID-19, Brown has been the Celtics’ best player in recent games.
That means the C’s will need others to step up in the wake of Brown’s injury. Boston’s still looking for Jayson Tatum to break out of his shooting slump after a slow start to the season.
“He’s obviously played at a high level,” Udoka said. “But, when guys were out, he stepped up and it’s gonna have to be the same thing, vice versa. … So we’ll ask those guys to continue to do what they’re doing.”
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