Jaylen Brown underwent a debridement surgery to clean-up his right meniscus on Wednesday, the Celtics announced. The decision became increasingly likely after receiving various opinions in recent weeks. CelticsBlog first reported the possibility that Brown could undergo surgery late last month.
Brown attended a second weekend pop-up at his 741 Performance store near TD Garden late last week, where he greeted, signed autographs for and took pictures with the full line of fans attending near Canal Street. The event initially called for a meet-and-greet with a purchase, but Brown walked down the street in pouring rain before anyone entered the event upon arrival. It became his final in a string of public showings, recently visiting schools inspired in part by attendees at his first pop-up showing, where he vowed to be more visible in Boston this summer.
ESPN first reported that Brown played through a torn meniscus into the playoffs, something he’s shown no regrets over and tried to downplay entering the Knicks series. Brown said he was approaching 100% at the time, but it became clear he barely resembled his usual athletic self in what became a six game loss for the Celtics. Brad Stevens, who echoed Brown’s comments weeks earlier about the knee being structurally sound, expressed similar optimism to Brown that rest could alleviate the ailment in the weeks after the season.
Instead, Brown underwent what the Celtics called a debridement procedure this week, smoothing out the rough or irritated edges of the meniscus in what’s often referred to as a meniscus removal. The surgery typically takes 2-3 months to fully recover from, though some players returned to the floor from it in a matter of weeks in-season. The Celtics expected him to recover in time for training camp in September.
A repair likely would have forced him to miss some of the season, though it’s not always possible or necessary depending on the nature of the tear. There’s also concern about arthritis associated with meniscus injuries. Brown, throughout his process, mentioned other things going on alongside the injury.
More on this story as it develops.
