BOSTON — Jaylen Brown returned from an off night in Memphis, scored 24 points on 10-for-20 shooting in a loss to the Heat and did little to dispel concerns about his health entering the playoffs on Wednesday.
It is what it is.
“I was in some pain today,” he said. “But pushing through it. Trying to find ways to still be aggressive and find ways to add value to the team, and stuff like that. It’s just something I gotta work through and manage … I’m just gonna say for now it hurts. That’s it.”
That Brown can manage 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists through that pain came as a positive. It mirrored his outbreak at Phoenix last week, where his 24 points in 28 minutes allowed the Celtics to defeat the Suns without Jayson Tatum. He and Tatum started slowly this time, however, and their turnovers allowed the Heat to build a double-digit lead they controlled for much of the night.
Later, Brown reached his minutes limit of around 29 with five remaining. Although Joe Mazzulla would pull the starters moments later trailing by 15, it appeared the Celtics would again enter crunch time without Brown.
The same happened in San Antonio after Brown only accumulated nine shot attempts in over three quarters. He hit a pair of mid-rangers, a layup and assisted twice while shooting 3-of-4 in the fourth, but Mazzulla opted to close with Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porziņģis in an eight-point game with 3:43 remaining. Brown played 30 minutes that night, then rested against Memphis. On Wednesday, Payton Pritchard replaced Brown with Tatum, Kornet, Sam Hauser and Derrick White before Mazzulla called it a night four plays later.
“I thought he was good,” Mazzulla said. “Getting his feet under him. I liked the way he got to his spots. I liked the way he competed defensively. To me, he just continued to look better and better each night, much more comfortable out there. So that was a positive for us and good to see. We just gotta continue to get that. I liked what he did tonight … you want him to continue to get in form, continue to work and at the same time, find that balance and make sure he’s ready to go. I trust him, the way he prepares himself, so whatever he thinks is best.”
Brown, despite the step forward, also reflected his comments after a similarly optimistic performance at Phoenix. He said he’s come to terms with the fact that he won’t feel like his normal self late in the season, but he and the medical staff lined up a plan for him to feel better entering the playoffs. Brown also downplayed the notion that he’s playing to remain eligible for All-NBA consideration by playing in 65 games. Brown narrowly missed making the All-NBA Third Team by one spot last season. Mazzulla said on Monday that it’s important for Brown to have the chance to make it if it fits into Boston’s larger goal of winning.
He needs to play in five of the Celtics’ final six games to remain in play after sitting out on Monday. That stretch includes a back-to-back in New York and Orlando on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. The eligibility rule also states that Brown must play at least 20 minutes in three of those games and at least 15 in, at most, two of them. Despite a step back in efficiency and more big men active in position-less voting, Brown could still garner votes with rival contenders also battling the games played minimum and the Celtics soaring late in the schedule.
Brown mentioned lower body ailments hurting him at all-star weekend after he sat out the two games before the break following 18 straight appearances. He played in the games before participating in nine of the next 11 when the schedule started again. Brown struggled in the Oklahoma City game on March 12, and appeared to tweak his knee on a late dunk, but said that night he felt better than he had previously.
He rested the front half of a back-to-back in Miami two days later, returned the following night in Brooklyn and left at halftime with back spasms. Brown then missed the next three games, during which the team issued a press release announcing his right knee bone bruise. Since, he’s traded performances that resemble his normal contributions, and others like the Sacramento and San Antonio games where he shot fewer than 10 times.
Entering Wednesday, Brown averaged 20.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 4.1 APG on 46.3% shooting (29.9% 3PT) over the prior 13 games. The grimacing returned in the second half after his leaps, along with slower trots in transition. Brown’s transition possessions are down compared to last year, but he finished strong, shooting 7-of-11 after halftime. Despite widespread confusion over why he’s pushing through an injury with so little to play for, there is an argument that if the pain will inevitably linger into the playoffs, he needs to practice playing through it now.
“I think (it’s been) gradual,” Brown said. “I’ve seen some specialists and things like that, but we got a great medical staff. We got good people around, so come playoffs, my goal is to be feeling my best, so we’re just working through that. It’s a thing you manage and you push through, but we got a good plan in place so come playoffs, my goal is I’ll be feeling my best.”
