Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday insisted ‘nobody’s worried’ about Jaylen Brown as last year’s Finals MVP battles a knee injury heading into the postseason.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed Brown received pain management injections in his right knee as ‘part of the rehab process,’ while reassuring the All-Star guard will be ready for Sunday’s Game 1 of the first round.
The All-Star guard began reporting knee pain in February and has been playing through it ever since, missing occasional games for rest but ultimately powering through to try and meet the 65-game criteria to be eligible for the NBA’s end-of-season awards.
In the end, Brown featured in just 63 games as he prioritised his health over the possibility of making All-NBA – and that decision appears to have done the world of good for his knee, as Mazzulla revealed he wasn’t limited in Tuesday practice.
Brown didn’t look himself for the majority of the year – his scoring took a dip to 22.2 points a game from 23.0 in 2023-24 and his efficiency from the field and three fell from 50% and 35% to 46% and 32%.
Despite some struggles, teammate Jrue Holiday reiterated “he (Brown) looked good to me, nobody is worried about him” when speaking after shootaround.
WATCH: Jrue Holiday on Jaylen Brown’s injury struggles ahead of playoff run
Jrue Holiday said to @RealBobManning that Brown looked fine today: “Whatever he needs. If he needs a break, which knowing J.B., he probably won’t, and he probably won’t even accept it even if he needs it, but whatever it is, we’ll be there for him.” pic.twitter.com/JKAG7TsmAs
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) April 15, 2025
Brown joined some of the greats of the game last year when winning Finals MVP for his showing against the Dallas Mavericks as the Celtics closed out the series in five games for a first title since 2008.
The former third overall pick did a stellar job keeping Luka Doncic quiet and proved his worth as one of the most talented two-way players in the league, providing a deadly double punch alongside Jayson Tatum.
As per the best online sportsbooks, the Celtics are odds-on favorites to retain their Eastern Conference crown but slightly trail the Oklahoma City Thunder in the outright championship market.
If Brown can’t put his best foot forward, Boston’s chance diminishes significantly and without his productive output it’s hard to see the team becoming the first back-to-back victors since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
