According to Boston Celtics PR, Jaylen Brown is doubtful to return to their preseason game against the Toronto Raptors due to left hamstring tightness. It appeared as though an incident occurred in the first quarter as he was running up the court. He exited the game holding his hamstring, heading back to the locker room. From that point forward, he did not return to the Celtics bench.
Obviously, with all of their offseason losses and the injury to Jayson Tatum, the Celtics don’t have much room for error this season, so losing Brown would be a crushing blow to begin the season.
That said, there has been no update regarding the severity of the injury.
What would Celtics do without Jaylen Brown?
Brown is one of the best scorers in the NBA and is projected to be Boston’s top offensive option this season. They have plenty of support behind him, but none quite as talented as Brown.
He’s an All-NBA player and multi-time All-Star. Not having him on the floor would be brutal for the Celtics’ spacing, and if they have to open the season without him or Brown on the court, it will be the first time in nearly a decade they will have had to do so.
Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Anfernee Simons will have a ton of pressure put on them to perform, as they would go from behind the second, third, and fourth offensive options to No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. That’s a huge shift.
Not only would they have increased responsibilities on the offensive end, but defenses would be able to send even more pressure at them. White would likely be guarded by the opponent’s best defender. That’s a lot to have to deal with.
Joe Mazzull would likely also have to find new ways to adjust his lineups heading into the season, as the Celtics would be missing one of their top wings.
Double guard lineups would be a must at almost all times, as having two of White and Pritchard on the floor would quickly become close to necessary in order for the Celtics’ offense to stay in good shape.
There is a lot that has to be reported on before it comes to that. Brown could simply be dealing with a little bit of soreness. If it’s not serious, he could be good to go for Opening Night.
However, considering he didn’t come back into the game, or back out to the bench, after exiting in the first quarter, it’s definitely a storyline to monitor closely.