Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Among Five Boston Celtics on Injury Report vs. Charlotte

There is a lengthy list for the Celtics, who are in a three-game in four-night stretch, and who might feel comfortable resting some guys with a little pad in the standings.

Mar 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and forward Jayson Tatum (0) watch the Jumbotron during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The final few weeks of the season is always an interesting balance of rest, managing injuries, and fighting for playoff seeding. 

The Celtics have a little bit of a pad over the New York Knicks with a two game lead in the loss column and nine games to go. The Knicks have eight games left and, according to Tankathon, the third-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA. So the Celtics might feel they have a little leeway to get some rest in and get some of their key players healthy. 

The Celtics have listed four starters on their injury report ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. All of them are currently listed as questionable for the game. A fifth Celtic, Nikola Vučević, remains out with the fractured right ring finger.

Neemias Queta is back on the list with a right thumb sprain. He was on the injury report ahead of the Atlanta Hawks game with the same issue, but played without any sort of wrap on his thumb or hand. Whatever the injury is, it appears to be a minor issue. 

Derrick White remains on the list with the right knee contusion. He suffered that in San Antonio and it cost him one game, the loss in Oklahoma City, so far. 

Jaylen Brown remains on the report with left Achilles tendinitis. That issue kept him out of the game against the Hawks, but Joe Mazzulla characterized it as a “day-to-day” thing and nothing long-term. To that end, Brown was featured on Celtics social media outlets traveling with the team on their road trip to Charlotte, Atlanta, and Miami, and he was photographed without any sort of brace or obvious wrap on his foot. He was also on the bench for the win over Atlanta and seemed to be moving without a noticeable limp, so that's a good sign as well. 

The treatment for tendinitis can be as simple as rest, ice, and antiinflammatory medicine. The Celtics may feel they can take a conservative approach with the pad they have in the standings. 

Jayson Tatum is the third starter on the list. He’s officially listed for “Right Achilles Repair Management.” This is the second time he’s shown up on the injury report for that, the other being ahead of the San Antonio Spurs game, which he missed. 

Tatum has seen his minutes increase dramatically over 10 games, starting around 26-27 minutes at the beginning of the month and now moving to 36:36 against the Hawks on Friday night. He played 35 against the Thunder on Wednesday, so he’s clearly been bumped up past the 30-32 he was getting after taking the day off in San Antonio. 

“There isn't a specific number,” Joe Mazzulla said of Tatum’s minutes after the Hawks game. “It's more about what looks the best for us, where we're at, what we need, and we continue to go from there, and he played the whole quarter a couple games in a row, and he's handling it well, and so we just continue to kind of assess that and go from there.”