Boston Celtics fans held their collective breath Wednesday night when Jaylen Brown hobbled off the TD Garden floor grabbing his left hamstring.
But it appears Brown avoided serious injury.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters Friday that Brown is considered “day-to-day” with his left hamstring injury, adding that All-Star wing was able to participate in everything but the live portion of Friday’s practice.
“I expect him to be at his best every single day, and then we’ll take it from there,” Mazzulla said of Brown. “But just one day at a time.”
Whether Brown will suit up for Boston’s regular-season opener next Wednesday remains to be seen — Mazzulla said they haven’t discussed his availability for that game yet — but it’s a good sign that Brown at least was on the court Friday going through basketball activities.
Brown, who underwent minor knee surgery in June to address his partially torn meniscus, enjoyed a strong preseason, racking up 21 points in 20 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies and stuffing the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the first quarter of Wednesday’s preseason finale vs. the Toronto Raptors, however, Brown was seen clutching his left hamstring as he ran up the court and exited the game shortly after.
Brown is expected to shoulder the Celtics’ scoring load this season in the absence of Jayson Tatum, who had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles in May. And while Brown is fully embracing that opportunity, the Celtics likely will be cautious with their All-Star wing to ensure he doesn’t re-aggravate this injury.
Even if the C’s take a conservative approach, however, Mazzulla’s update Friday suggests this hopefully won’t be a long-term issue for Brown going forward.
The Celtics’ opening night clash with the Philadelphia 76ers is set for Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
