With a week to go before the regular season, the Celtics entered Wednesday night’s preseason finale hoping for health above all else.
That hope was extinguished midway through the first quarter, when Jaylen Brown grabbed at the back of his left leg and checked out of the game shortly thereafter. Brown headed straight to the locker room, and after a lengthy wait, the team announced that he was doubtful to return due to left hamstring tightness.
While Brown did not return to the game — a surprisingly thrilling 110-108 win over the Raptors — head coach Joe Mazzulla expressed confidence that it won’t be a serious situation for his star.
“I think he’ll be OK,” Mazzulla said. “I just talked to him after [the game], he said he’ll be fine, but I didn’t get a full update.”
Brown, 28, is in line to be the clear-cut No. 1 leader for the Celtics on and off the court this year, with Jayson Tatum sidelined indefinitely as he recovers from Achilles surgery. Brown started his preseason in alpha mode, scoring a game-high 21 points in 20 minutes in a victory in Memphis. Brown didnt’ play in the second preseason game, but he scored eight points with six assists and five rebounds in Sunday’s win over Cleveland. Prior to exiting Wednesday’s game, he had seven points, two rebounds and a steal in his seven minutes on the floor.
While the injury — and Mazzulla’s postgame report — did not seem serious, there won’t be too much time for Brown to fully recover before the regular season begins. The Celtics kick things off on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at home against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics will then head out on a three-game road trip — to New York, Detroit and New Orleans — before returning home to host the Cavaliers on Oct. 29.
With a week to go before the regular season tips off, the biggest question will be whether or not Brown is ready to go for the opener.
