NEW YORK — Jaylen Brown didn’t miss a playoff game this year. He was a constant face on the injury report throughout the first round against the Orlando Magic, but still, every time tip-off came around, he was on the hardwood. But he was still hurt. And after Boston’s season-ending loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6, he hinted that the injury was lingering more than the lack of injury report presence led on.
“Absolutely, I don't make no excuses,” Brown said of the loss. “Obviously, it's tough the way we went out like tonight, but the way we finished the year, personally, the way I finished the year, persevering through some physical stuff that I was battling through, I'm proud of our group.”
He noted that losing feels worse now that he and the Celtics understand the joys of winning a championship, a goal they accomplished almost one year ago. But still, he brought up the ailment he’s been dealing with.
“It feels the same man. It almost feels worse,” Brown said, comparing this year’s loss to past season-enders the Celtics have been through. “We were trying to do something special, go back-to-back. We had a great group. We played well all year. So, I think this probably stings even more. We just had some unfortunate events. Some injuries. Personally, I had some stuff that I was persevering through, and it just caught up to us.”
Yet, when asked about the issue directly, Brown declined to comment on whether or not there are any summer plans ahead.
“Nothing to talk about right now, but we'll see how the next steps [play out],” Brown said. “Kind of sit back and process and see what the next steps are.”
Obviously, Brown didn't reveal any actual information about his injury, but the fact that he mentioned it multiple times (sometimes unprompted) throughout his end-of-season press conference is a likely indicator that the depths of the ailment were deeper than he let on during the postseason.
What injury has Jaylen Brown been dealing with?
For the past few months, Brown has been dealing with a bone bruise and right posterior knee impingement. It’s been a lingering problem for the Celtics star, and he even received injections in his knee prior to the start of the postseason.
“Celtics All-Star forward Jaylen Brown received pain management injections in his troublesome right knee this week in an effort to promote healing before Boston begins its title defense, league sources told ESPN,” Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported in the middle of April.
What happens with Jaylen Brown now?
There are a lot of questions that will have to be asked regarding the future of this Celtics group as a team. With the CBA shining down on them, trades seem inevitable, though Brown’s future is one of the most intriguing puzzles on the roster.
His Game 5 performance made it evidently clear that he’s capable of being a lead option on a top-tier squad, but moving off of his salary would help aid some long-term financial issues Boston is set up to deal with.
It seems more likely than not that Brown is back in Celtics green next season, but with the injury to Jayson Tatum and the way they went out on Friday night, anything is possible.