Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has been dealing with some recurring knee issues over the last few weeks of the 2024-25 season. The four-time All-Star hasn't played for the team since the first half of their last game against the New York Knicks last Tuesday.
All indications are that Brown will try to play through his knee injury, but it could affect his availability and his impact in the playoffs. If it proves bothersome, he might miss a few games.
It was reported by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that Brown received pain management injections ahead of the NBA playoffs. After this news, Celtics star Payton Pritchard discussed how the Celtics will approach their upcoming playoff games whether Brown plays or not.
"If he's able to play, then we go ahead and play, like we know how to play with him, and obviously, he's one of our guys, so we'll adjust," Pritchard said, per Celtics on CLNS. "If he doesn't guys will have to step up and and fill those in different areas."
Pritchard added that he believes in the team but knows what Brown's potential absence would mean for players who would have to fill in for him:
"Our team is well-balanced and very deep. Obviously, we want everybody healthy and to be ready to play at a high level, but if not, guys gotta be ready to step up," Pritchard said.
In his ninth NBA season, Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field and 32.4% from three. That production would be hard to replace, but the Celtics managed to win 61 games while their starting lineup played in only 13 games together throughout the regular season.
