Jaylen Brown leaves Celtics preseason finale with hamstring tightness, but is expected to be OK
Jaylen Brown's hamstring will be the focus leading up to the Celtics' season opener next week, after the All-Star swingman had to leave Boston's preseason finale early Wednesday night with left hamstring tightness.
Brown told head coach Joe Mazzulla that he expects to be fine, but it's a situation worth monitoring leading up to opening night on Oct. 22 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jaylen Brown's hamstring injury
Brown got off to a hot start Wednesday night in Boston's preseason finale against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden, as he poured in seven points, pulled down two rebounds, and snagged a steal in his seven minutes on the floor. He looked ready for the regular season in his final preseason tune-up.
But Brown reached for his left hamstring after he dished out a pass in transition midway through the first quarter, and he was subbed out of the game at the next stoppage. Brown didn't stop at the Boston bench and went directly to the locker room with team trainers, where he remained for the rest of the night.
Brown was ruled doubtful to return with hamstring tightness early in the second quarter. Mazzulla gave a promising -- albeit brief -- update on Brown's condition after the team's 110-108 win.
"I think he'll be OK," Mazzulla told reporters. "I just talked to him after, he said he'll be fine. But I didn't get a full update."
While that update is as positive as it could be in the moment, it remains unclear if Brown will be good to go with opening night less than a week away. It doesn't give the 28-year-old Brown -- who was poised to be Boston's No. 1 with Jayson Tatum sidelined during his recovery from Achilles surgery -- a lot of time to recover.
Brown led the way with 21 points for the Celtics in the team's preseason-opening win over the Memphis Grizzlies, and put up eight points, six assists, and five rebounds last Sunday in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers after he sat out preseason game No. 2.
Last season, Brown averaged 22.2 points off 46.3% shooting overall to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists over 63 regular season games. He averaged 22.1 points and 7.0 rebounds for Boston in the postseason.
If Brown isn't cleared for opening night, Chris Boucher or Josh Minnott could be options for Mazzulla in Boston's starting five.