The Celtics will be forced to continue their hapless playoff push without Jaylen Brown.
The All-Star forward will be out for the remainder of the season, the team announced Monday, due to a torn ligament in his left wrist. He's slated to undergo surgery later this week.
For this kind of tear, recovery time is generally three to six months.
Brown has missed the last three games with a right ankle sprain. He reaggravated the injury when he collided with Jayson Tatum in last Sunday's loss to the Trail Blazers. As of press time, there's no confirmed word on when he suffered his wrist injury.
Here's my best guess for when Jaylen Brown's injury occurred. With 28 seconds left in the Thunder game. He said he was fine after the game, played three games afterward, even lit up the Hornets the night after this. But he clearly hurt the left wrist here. pic.twitter.com/0q4t7Fl9KG
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 10, 2021
The Celtics have gone 1-2 in Brown's absence, losing an embarrassing contest to the Bulls on Friday night and falling to the Heat on Sunday. They have a rematch with Miami Tuesday night at the TD Garden. Boston is currently two games behind the Heat with four to go.
As it currently stands, the Celtics are slated to participate in the play-in game.
Brown, 24, averaged a career-high 24.7 points per game this season to go along with 6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. The 2016 first-round pick was one of the team's best defenders.
The Celtics have been ravaged with injuries, with their top lineup seldom playing together. Brown's extended absence would appear to eliminate any chance of a surprise postseason run.
He is in the first year of a four-year, $106 million contract extension. Now the question is, will he finish the contract in Boston?
