The Boston Celtics can’t catch a break after they lost All-Star Jaylen Brown to a season-ending wrist injury.
Brown suffered a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist, which requires surgery. He will also miss the postseason. Brown dealt with pain all season. He finally got the wrist checked out with an MRI after he aggravated the injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“This past weekend Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was diagnosed with a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist,” said the Celtics via a statement. “Brown is expected to have the torn ligament surgically repaired later this week.”
Teammate Romeo Langford underwent similar surgery and missed nearly seven months before he returned to the Celtics’ lineup. If you follow a similar timetable, Brown could be out until December.
The Celtics were plagued with the injury bug once again this season and Brown is their latest casualty. Kemba Walker started the season late while recovering from knee surgery. Marcus Smart missed 21 games this season with a calf injury.
The Celtics are +5000 odds to win the 2021 NBA Championship, according to an update by the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.
Career-Year for Smart, Fournier Next Man Up
In his fifth NBA season, Brown averages a career-high 24.7 points, six rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game this season. He notched three 40-plus games this season, including one last month against LeBron and the LA Lakers.
Jayson Tatum and Brown were Boston’s dynamic duo this season. They provided a one-two scoring punch combining for 51 points per game this season.
Without Brown in the lineup, head coach Brad Stevens will rely upon Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart to pick up the scoring slack.
Evan Fournier will also see increased court time. The Celtics acquired Fournier in the Orlando Magic’s fire sale when they traded away all their starters before the trade deadline. At the time, the Celtics wanted Fournier to add depth and bolster their bench for the playoffs Now, he’ll get thrust into action. He’s only averaging 11.9 ppg since joining the Celtics, down from his 19.7 ppg average with the Magic.
On Deck: Heat, Cavs, T-Wolves, Knicks
The Celtics went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season where they were knocked out by the Miami Heat in a tough-as-nails, seven-game series. The Celtics (35-33) were fighting the Heat (37-31) for the #6 seed and hoping to avoid the #7 spot and the play-in tournament.
After a disappointing weekend with two straight losses, the Celtics have the Charlotte Hornets (33-35) and Washington Wizards (32-36) eyeing the #8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
The Celtics have four games remaining, including one more home game against the Miami Heat (37-31) on Tuesday. They hit the road for three games against the terrible Cleveland Cavs (21-47), Minnesota Timberwolves (21-47), and New York Knicks (38-30). The Celtics struggled on the road this season with a 14-19 away record.