Celtics may have Jaylen Brown injury worry ahead of playoffs

The reigning NBA Finals MVP could have some trouble suiting up in the playoffs this season.ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported Saturday morning that Celtics star Jaylen Brown has received pain management injections in his right knee this week as he continues to battle a bone bruise.The injury has nagged for some time now, but has seemingly bothered Brown more as of late, as the 6-foot-6 shooting guard has missed seven of Boston’s last 15 games.Even in the last two games he did play in, he may have been bothered as he played just 21 minutes in each. Against the Wizards, it was a blowout win for Brown’s team so he wasn’t necessarily needed in his full capacity.

But in an overtime thriller against the Knicks on Tuesday, Brown was not utilized much in the second half or overtime.He then sat out against the Magic, which was a significant game to miss as it eliminated his chances of playing 65 games and being eligible for any season awards or All-NBA honors.Brown’s teammates are seeing the effects that the injury has had on him, too, as Kristaps Porzingis talked postgame Tuesday about preserving Brown more moving forward.“[Brown’s] a tough dude,” Porzingis said.

“He always preaches his warrior mindset.He lives by it.

But to what extent do we need that right now? Maybe he needs to take care of it and make sure he’s going to be ready for the most important moment.I think we need to encourage him to make sure he does everything he needs to prepare to get it healthy and to prepare for what’s going to come.”The Celtics are already locked in as the No.

2 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face off against the winner of the Play-in Tournament game between the Magic and Hawks.Boston’s series against Orlando or Atlanta will begin next week on either April 19 or 20, where sources believe he will be ready to play.While he may be ready, the need for pain management injections could bode for a battle between Brown and his own health throughout the play...