While Jaylen Brown didn’t go into specifics of the right knee issues he battled throughout the playoffs, as expected, more details are starting to come out with the Celtics eliminated. Brown finished the year and playoffs with a partially torn right meniscus, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
It was clear Brown wasn’t 100% during the playoffs even though he had some solid nights playing through the injury. Brown will determine if surgery is needed sometime this week, per Shelburne. The Celtics lost in six games to the Knicks in the East semifinals. Brown averaged 22.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists, shooting 44.1% from the field, in 11 playoff games even with the meniscus tear.
“We had a great group, we played well all year, so I think this probably stings even more,” Brown said after the Celtics’ Game 6 loss to the Knicks. “We just had some unfortunate events, some injuries. Personally, I had some stuff that I was persevering through, and it just caught up to us in the end.”
News first came of Brown’s knee issues during the regular season back in March. He took time off to get his right knee feeling better as it was described as a bone bruise.
It was clear he was battling those issues down the stretch of the regular season. The last time he played in the regular season was April 8 against the Knicks, playing just 22 minutes. Brown sat the final three games of the year to rest his knee ahead of the playoffs.
There were some nights where Brown still shined despite the injury. His excellent Game 5 against the Knicks kept the season alive, when he put up 26 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 12 assists. His night also included impressive defense guarding Knicks star Jalen Brunson.
But on the flip side, aside from the struggles, Brown just didn’t have the same burst and explosiveness he’s showcased throughout his career during the playoffs. Brown said part of why he played during the regular season was because he needed to see physically what he could and couldn’t do on the court.
The Celtics were hit by injuries and availability issues throughout the playoffs. Kristaps Porzingis’ illness was well-documented as the big man wasn’t the same during the Knicks series. Jayson Tatum’s ruptured right Achilles tendon could be a franchise-altering moment as the C’s enter an uncertain offseason. Add Brown’s problematic knee to that list.
“Finishing in May feels weird,” Brown said. “It’s definitely not something we were prepared for. Obviously Jayson’s injury. I’m sure there’s a lot to process, just as everything this whole year. But we’ll meet. We’ll take a couple days. It’s hard processing it all in real time, throwing all these questions at me, but I’m happy that our group stayed together. It was an honor to share the locker room with these guys.”
