Getty Jaylen Brown, Celtics
Just as the Celtics are trying to get themselves back to full health, now comes word that the knee problem that kept Jaylen Brown out for the team’s game against the Clippers last Friday and the game against Phoenix on Sunday, is likely to be an ongoing issue.
Brown is suffering from tendonitis, and Celtics president Danny Ainge said on Thursday that, “We’re concerned.”
As well they should be. Brown is having a career year, averaging 26.7 points and 5.6 rebounds, with 52.2% shooting and 42.7% from the arc. On a team that has lost five of its last seven games, you worry about losing out on numbers like that.
Ainge, though, did temper his concern, saying he played much of his career with tendonitis.
“Jaylen has tendonitis in his knee,” Ainge said on the Thursday edition of the Toucher and Rich radio program on 98.5 in Boston. “I mean, heck, I played 14 years with tendonitis in my knee, it just flares up, it just comes and goes. It doesn’t mean it’s good, we’re concerned about it. We’re doing everything we can. Giving him two days off isn’t going to cure it, it is just going to lighten the load. We hear a lot about load management and load management prevents tendinopathy.”
Jaylen Brown Scored 33 Points in Return on Tuesday
Brown did return on Tuesday against Utah after having two games off. He was stellar when he came back, too, shooting 12-for-20 from the field for 33 points, playing 37 minutes. The heavy load after having two games off was a bit of a surprise, but Brown explained after the game.
“It definitely felt better in the first half. In the second half, the third quarter, I had a stretch where it was bothering me a little bit. It’s something to stay on top of,” Brown said. “It’s moving in the right direction. I’m looking forward to staying on the court and being there for our team. We need some wins right now.”
Indeed. Boston went 2-3 on its Western Conference swing, part of a stretch in which they played nine of 11 games on the road. In those 11 games, the Celtics—who are dealing with an injury to Marcus Smart but have also had injuries to guards Kemba Walker and Payton Pritchard—went 4-7.
Celtics Have Major Schedule Concerns Ahead
That leads back to the concern about Brown. While it is true that he could fight against tendonitis when it flares up over time, this season is slated to be especially pressure-packed after last year was suspended and restarted because of the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The schedule was always going to be tight–Celtics have 16 games slated in a 28-day February—but Boston has three games to make up from earlier health and safety postponements.
That could affect Brown’s knee. Ainge, though, said he was not too worried about it.
“I don’t know how serious it is,” Ainge said. “But I have been given no reason to be concerned for anything long-term. Like I said, I had it all the time, you just play with it, usually you just gotta get it warmed up and you can function. I don’t think there’s any long-term concerns at all.”
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Celtics’ Danny Ainge Drops Worrisome Update on Star’s Knee Trouble