Inside The Celtics

Celtics' Jaylen Brown Breaks Silence on Knee Injury Before Playoffs

The Celtics superstar got honest about the status of his knee ahead of the playoffs.
Apr 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) warms up before a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Apr 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) warms up before a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

In this story:


The Boston Celtics are trying to get back to the NBA Finals after winning it all last year. They were by far the best team in the league last season and ran through the playoffs.

This year, things will be a little tougher. The Eastern Conference is much tougher to get through than it was a year ago.

The Celtics are still one of the best teams in the league when they are fully healthy. The issue for them has been keeping their starting lineup healthy. They have had multiple guys miss a significant number of games.

Read more: Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Makes Final Decision on Jaylen Brown Playing Game 1

Jaylen Brown has been one of those players dealing with an injury. His knee injury has been bothering him almost all season. He got candid about the status of his knee ahead of Game 1.

It's clear that Brown does not want to make his knee an excuse for how he's going to play this series against Orlando. He feels he's healthy enough to play.

How effective Brown will be remains to be seen. He is the second-most important player on the roster for the Celtics.

Brown has been getting injections in his knee to help with the pain. It’s an injury that he can play through, but it’s not something that is going to get healed before the playoffs are finished. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Brown get some surgery on it in the offseason.

Clearly, rest has not done enough to make it go away. As long as Brown is able to play in these games, the Celtics are going to play him his regular minutes. They might try to give him a little more rest in this first-round series, though.

Orlando is not a team that the Celtics are concerned with. They should be able to beat them without having Brown play a ton of minutes. Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and the rest of the starting lineup should be able to hold down the fort until the second round. Once the second round starts, things will be a bit different.

Boston still respects what the Magic can do, but they know they are the better team. It will be interesting to see what they can do once this series is over and how well Brown responds to playing so often.

More Celtics news: Celtics Should Fear One Team in East and It's Not The Cavaliers

For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.


Published | Modified