With the two-seed in the Eastern Conference locked up and the NBA playoffs just over a week away, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics are opting for rest over a potential reward. Boston's All-Star forward has been ruled out for Friday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets with his right knee issue.

There's a good chance he'll also miss Boston's regular-season finale on Sunday afternoon, which is also against the Hornets at TD Garden.

Brown has been limited with a "right knee posterior impingement" for a while now, and the fact he was ruled out for Friday's game on Thursday is an indication he needs time to rest and rehab the injury ahead of the playoffs. Brown and the Celtics have maintained that playing won't make the injury worse, but rest is best for Brown at the moment.

He's actually played better after the All-Star break despite the ailment, and scored 31 points in a blowout win over the Phoenix Suns just a week ago. So Brown has shown that he can play through the injury and still be effective for Boston.

But Brown was clearly hobbled in Tuesday night's win over the Knicks when he scored just six points and committed three turnovers over 22 minutes of action. He did not play at all in the fourth quarter or overtime in the Boston win.

The Celtics won't play their first playoff game until next Saturday or Sunday, so there's an opportunity for Brown to get a week-and-a-half of rest ahead of the postseason. 

Joe Mazzulla's update on Jaylen Brown

Mazzulla spoke about Brown and his injury management Thursday during an interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak and Bertrand. He trusts Brown's process and is confident he'll be ready to play through the injury come the playoffs.

"He's doing well," said Mazzulla. "No one knows their body, no one knows how to push themselves, no one knows how to prepare themselves -- body and mind -- through the rigors of the season [like Brown]. At the end of the day, the most important thing is just kind of trust in Jaylen and trust his work, trust his process and also trust the training staff and the sports science guys that put the time in all the time.

"I trust that he'll be ready when it matters most," Mazzulla added. 

No All-NBA for Jaylen Brown

With Brown set to miss at least Friday night's game, he will not hit the 65-game threshold to be eligible for NBA awards. He was a bit of a longshot to get All-NBA honors this season, but now that will be off the table for Brown.