Jaylen Brown Looks ‘Great’ in Return to Practice Following Knee Injection

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown and the rest of the Celtics practiced in full without limitations on Tuesday, Joe Mazzulla said.

Brown appeared on the floor for the open portion of the first practice ahead of the Celtics’ first round series against either the Hawks or Magic, doing some light shooting near the basket, progressing to three-pointers, then taking free throws alongside Boston assistants. Al Horford and Jrue Holiday both left the practice saying Brown looked fine.

“He looked great today,” Horford said. “I was very happy to see him out there doing everything. It’s a really good sign for us.”

ESPN reported and Mazzulla confirmed that Brown received an injection on his right knee that’s ailed him for months, forcing him to miss nine of Boston’s final 26 games while otherwise playing through pain and a minutes limit. Brown said he wanted to learn how to play a different way through pain that would be there regardless of how much he rested late in the regular season. Finally, Mazzulla said Brown decided to prioritize rest ahead of the final three games, which he sat out after warming up to play last Wednesday’s back-to-back in Orlando.

The injection was a pain-reducing one, according to ESPN, and while Mazzulla wouldn’t confirm what Brown received specifically, his full participation in practice points toward him being ready to go on Sunday when the Celtics open their postseason at home. A start time hasn’t been confirmed prior to the Atlanta-Orlando result tonight. Mazzulla, however, said little about the minutes load Brown could be in for when the playoffs begin. He appeared for only 22 minutes in his last two games after playing for weeks under a 30-minute limit.

“It’s tough,” Horford said. “I feel like there are a lot of things you have to deal with when you’re in that position and Jaylen is very strong mentally and I feel like he finds a way. He’s the type that he’s out here putting in the work and trying to get himself ready to go. He understands what’s in front of us and I feel like mentally he’s gonna be in a good place. So I’m just excited to see him go from this point forward.”

Payton Pritchard said after Sunday’s game that the Celtics would be prepared to win with our without Brown due to their depth, perhaps reflecting some uncertainty among the players about where he stood in his recovery process at the time. Mazzulla said prior to that game that he was 100% confident in Brown being available for the start of the playoffs. While that appears solidified for now, the lack of clarity around the specific nature of his injury and how long the pain-reducing treatment will power him through the playoffs rank among the top questions for the Celtics entering the playoffs.

Brown proved his ability to succeed through pain and whatever physical limitations came with it. He scored 24 points against the Suns and Heat, then 31 in the rematch against Phoenix following a three game absence with what the team described as a right knee bone bruise at the time. In seven games following that layoff, he shot 51.8% from the field and 40.6% from three.

He wasn’t the only player who progressed in his recovery to begin this week. Holiday no longer needs to wear the cast on his right pinkie mallet finger throughout the day, but will continue to wear it in games for now. He’s shooting 39.1% from three over the past 15 games since he started wearing it.

“(Brown) looked good to me,” Holiday said. ” I think JB’s gonna be JB in terms of not showing weakness. Everything is about not showing weakness for him and being able to be at his strongest mentally and physically. So nobody’s worried about him. We all know that he wants to be out on the court every time that we play, but we also know he’s gonna be prepared when the time comes. I think he’s fine. I’m pretty sure if you asked him, he’d be fine too.”