Celtics' Jaylen Brown Underwent Knee Procedure Days Ahead of Playoffs

Boston Celtics star guard Jaylen Brown received pain management injections in his knee a week before the start of their title defense.

Shelburne: Jaylen Brown received pain management injections in knee.

He is expected to be ready for start of playoffs.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 12, 2025

Brown, who has been dealing with his knee issue for the past month or so, is expected to be fine for the start of the playoffs despite the injections. The Celtics say Brown should be fine, and we should expect him to be on the court when Boston hosts the Eastern Conference's No. 7 seed.

Boston's title defense will commence on either April 19 or April 20 at the TD Garden.

The 2024 NBA Finals MVP has been dealing with a bone bruise in his knee for some time. It has bothered him more days than not. That has been the case this week, as he played against the New York Knicks earlier in the week but did not play much in the second half and overtime.

Brown has missed eight games since the start of March, including three consecutive games. It's unclear how long it would truly take for Brown's knee issue to get healthy. However, by the sounds of it, Brown may need to deal with it for the remainder of the playoffs.

If Brown isn’t fully healthy heading into the postseason, it could impact the Celtics' chances of repeating as champions. Following the Knicks' win, Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis emphasized the importance of Brown taking time to rest and recover before the playoffs begin.

"He's a tough dude," Porzingis said. "He always preaches his warrior mindset. He lives by it. But to what extent do we need that right now? Maybe he needs to take care of it and make sure he's going to be ready for the most important moment. I think we need to encourage him to make sure he does everything he needs to prepare to get it healthy and to prepare for what's going to come."

In the season, Brown averages 34.3 minutes of action; however, in the last few games, he has not met or passed that threshold. The last time he played over his minutes averaged was on March 12 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Since then, Brown has not played over 30 minutes in a contest.

The former No. 3 overall pick from California will be key for Boston. If he is not himself, the Celtics could be in trouble.

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