Jaylen Brown missed more than a week as he continues to nurse a bone bruise in his right knee. Even though the Celtics star is back on the court, he’s on a minutes restriction as it’s an issue he’ll manage going forward.
But even with the nagging injury, Brown put together a stellar game as the Celtics blew out the Suns on Wednesday. Brown had his fingerprints all over the win, finishing with 24 points and five assists as he shot 7-for-15 from the field. On top of all that, he also had a poster dunk worthy of any highlight reel. Brown spoke about his injury postgame, along with some of the mental struggles that comes with managing it.
“Just battling injury, just mentally making sure your confidence and your body is still aligned with the game and stuff like that,” Brown said. “So that’s pretty much it. I’m still working my way back, just building up. I’ve been on a minutes restriction but still just making the right steps. My body still doesn’t feel 100%, but today was a good step in the right direction.”
Brown has been bogged down by minor injuries throughout the season. He dealt with a hip flexor issue at the beginning of the year that required an MRI. This recent knee issue kept him out for more than a week, though he only missed three total games during a lighter part of the schedule.
Regardless, the Celtics will hope Brown can stay healthy as he manages this injury. He admitted the knee issue is relatively new for him as he hasn’t dealt with them throughout his career. So that’s a challenge mentally, he added, as he’s “just trying to find a good routine to make sure I’m prepared and ready to go every night.”
The playoffs are less than a month away, so just like with Jayson Tatum, the goal is for Brown to be fresh and available come the most important part of the season. In that case, Wednesday was a great step as Brown played well despite some limitations.
“He’s just a guy that, whatever he has to do to put himself in the best chance that’s best for us and help us win, he does,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So for a couple games he was taking care of his knee, and now he’s doing what he needs to do. I thought he was really efficient, 7-for-15, 4-for-9 (on 3-pointers), 6-for-6 from the (free-throw) line. But his defense was great, his presence was great for us.
