According to Boston Celtics PR, Jaylen Brown will be out on Thursday night against the Washington Wizards due to a non-COVID illness. It will be the first game Brown has missed all season. Everyone else, aside from Jayson Tatum, who is still recovering from a ruptured Achilles, will be active on Thursday.
Brown has been putting up career numbers this season, leading the Celtics to a 12-9 start to the year. Through the first 21 games of the season, Brown has played 33.4 minutes per contest, averaging 29.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 49.9% from the field and 34.7% from deep on 5.9 three-point attempts per contest.
Boston will have to navigate their way through Thursday night without him.
Jaylen Brown is OUT vs. the Wizards on Thursday
Here are the full injury reports for the Celtics and Wizards heading into their clash on Thursday night:
Celtics injury report:
- Jaylen Brown (illness, non-COVID) - OUT
- Jayson Tatum (right Achilles repair) - OUT
Wizards injury report:
- Alex Sarr (thigh) - OUT
- Bilal Coublibaly (oblique) - OUT
- Corey Kispert (fractured right thumb) - OUT
- Tre Johnson (hip) - OUT
- Sharife Cooper (calf) - OUT
Both teams will be missing important pieces on Thursday, as the Wizards won’t have some of their top players. Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Trey Johnson, and Corey Kispert have all been key contributors this season.
Sarr, in particular, has enjoyed a breakout season with the Wizards in his sophomore year in the NBA. He had a relatively up-and-down rookie season, but he’s been much improved this season.
As for the Celtics, playing without Brown will be a huge test for the rest of the guys, even if the Wizards are only 3-17 on the season. Everything will be different without Brown.
Derrick White and Payton Pritchard will have to do even more than they already have been regarding offensive creation, and the rest of the lineup will need to fill in the gaps.
Brown’s consistency has been one of the high points for the Celtics this year, as even though he’s dealt with some small bumps and bruises throughout the year, he’s always managed to play.
Thursday will be the first instance of an injury (or, in this case, an illness) getting the best of him, and Boston will have to step up to the challenge of playing without him.
Again, taking on the Wizards isn’t as big a task as facing some other teams in the league, but still, not having Brown will be a massive change.