The first frame of the Boston Celtics' preseason finale brought a disastrous development. The night ended with a Xavier Tillman Sr. game-winning shot to give the hosts a 110-108 victory vs. the Toronto Raptors. However, it began with Jaylen Brown heading to the locker room due to a hamstring injury suffered seven minutes into the matchup.
Post-game, Joe Mazzulla stated there was "no update," but "he said he'll be fine, but I didn't get a full update."
Two days later, after an intense practice at the tail end of the Celtics' training camp, Mazzulla shared that Brown "was able to do everything but the live stuff."
While it is unknown how much of Friday's practice that means he actually participated in, that appears like an encouraging sign. Furthermore, seeing him at the Auerbach Center, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP was walking without a limp or any hindrance.
"I expect him to be at his best every single day, and then we'll take it from there, but just one day at a time," said his bench boss.
Adapting without Jaylen Brown
Brown has dealt with hamstring injuries in the past. It's all the more reason to be cautious with his return to play. Exercising patience, even if it means holding him out of opening night against the Philadelphia 76ers, is prudent.
Still, his activity at Friday's practice seems like an encouraging sign for the prospect of the four-time All-Star being in Boston's lineup for its opening night rivalry clash at TD Garden Oct. 22.
His injury is a concerning blow to the Celtics. However, since they have to deal with that reality, the rest of Wednesday's exhibition contest against the Raptors was an ideal simulation of finding their way without him.
"I mean, you never want to lose Jaylen, but at the end of the day, there was no looking over your shoulder. It was like, 'This is what we have now, this is how we have to win,'" said Mazzulla. "And so we have to maintain that self-awareness of, like, 'This is where we are, this is what we have, this is what's going on in the environment. How do we adapt to that? And then we just [have] got to go. So, I thought we did that pretty well."
So, if Brown isn't ready to play on opening night, at least the Celtics have already faced this test and have nearly a full game's worth of experience to build off.