On March 29, Boston Celtics All-Star guard Jaylen Brown missed his second straight game with Achilles tendinitis.
Brown returned for the Celtics’ 112-102 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on March 30, and he downplayed any long-term concern surrounding his Achilles after the game.
“Nah, everybody’s dealing with something — just some soreness,” Brown said in response to a question from Noa Dalzell. “Definitely want to make sure you stay healthy as much as possible, and you don’t want to risk anything, but I think it’ll be fine going forward.”
Celtics fans are holding their breath, even if only a little, now that Brown was ruled out with Achilles tendinitis for Boston’s matchup with the New York Knicks on Thursday night.
“We’ll see what Tatum can do,” The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy wrote while relaying Brown’s game status.
Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles against the Knicks during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Madison Square Garden last May. The All-Star forward returned on March 6, and Thursday night’s game will be Tatum’s first time playing at MSG since suffering the devastating injury.
“I’m not like, thrilled, to go back and play there,” Tatum said earlier this week. “Last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me. Obviously, I knew at some point I would have to get over that hurdle and play there again. So, it’s going to have to be this Thursday.”
With Brown out, Tatum will have to shoulder even more weight against the Knicks.
The Celics (54-25) are locked into the No. 2 seed ahead of the third-seeded Knicks (51-28) in the Eastern Conference ahead of the NBA playoffs starting on April 18.
It’s possible that Brown’s absence on Thursday is just a precautionary measure by the Celtics to manage a nagging injury ahead of what could be a deep playoff run. But anything involving the Achilles is concerning nonetheless.
Boston will need Brown and Tatum both to have a shot at winning a second championship in three years. Brown was named NBA Finals MVP when the Celtics won the title in 2024.