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Celtics get good news on Jaylen Brown’s Achilles tendinitis injury
Jaylen Brown is expected to be back on the hardwood Monday night as the Celtics take on the Hawks.
Celtics fans can exhale a bit when it comes to star forward Jaylen Brown’s Achilles tendinitis injury.
After missing Boston’s last two games due to the nagging ailment, Brown was removed from the injury report on Monday and is cleared to play on the second leg of the Celtics’ back-to-back slate against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
Brown is not the only starter expected back in the lineup on Monday, as Derrick White was also listed as probable against the Hawks with a right knee contusion. White missed Sunday’s game due to that same injury.
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Many Celtics fans held their collective breath when Brown first landed on the injury report with Achilles pain, given that an Achilles injury is what sidelined Jayson Tatum for most of the past year.
But, speaking late last week, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t seem all that concerned about Brown’s long-term health or the risk of agitating his foot/heel even further.
“He’s day to day,” Mazzulla said of Brown ahead of Friday’s home win over Atlanta. “He was in today, getting treatment. He’s day to day.”
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Even with Brown back on the court Monday, the Celtics will still be shorthanded against Atlanta, as Tatum was downgraded to out due to right Achilles repair management.
Given that Tatum is still just 11 games into his return from an Achilles rupture, it comes as little surprise that Boston is prescribing some rest for Tatum down the stretch. The Celtics star has yet to play in back-to-back games to this point.
Tatum more than held his own when Brown was sidelined this past week, scoring 32 points in Sunday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Tatum seems to have shaken off some of the rust that hindered him at the start of his return to the hardwood, as the NBA named him the Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday. Over his last three games, Tatum averaged 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per contest.
Elsewhere on the injury report, Neemias Queta (right thumb sprain) is doubtful for Monday’s game, while backup Ron Harper Jr. is questionable after suffering a right ankle sprain on Sunday in Charlotte. Trade-deadline pickup Nikola Vucevic remains sidelined as he recovers from a broken finger suffered on March 6 against Dallas.
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