Celtics don’t seem worried about Jaylen Brown’s knee injury

The prevailing concern for the Celtics ahead of their 2025 playoff run is Jaylen Brown's knee injury status. Last week it was revealed by head coach Joe Mazzulla that Brown had been receiving pain management injections, which only further fuel the worries. But, it seems that Brown's teammates do not share the same apprehension.

"He looked great today. I was very happy to see him out there doing everything, so it's a really good sign for us," Celtics big man Al Horford said about Brown after practice on Tuesday. "[Playing through pain is] tough. I feel like there's a lot of things he kind of has to -- that you have to deal with when you're in that position. Jaylen is very strong mentally, and I feel like he finds a way. He's the type that he's out here putting in the work and trying to get himself ready to go.

"He understands what's in front of us, and I know that mentally he's going to be in a good place. So, I'm just excited to see him go from this point forward now."

Horford was not the only optimistic Celtic. Jrue Holiday reiterated his confidence.

"He looked good to me," said Holiday. "I think JB just going to be JB, in terms of not showing weakness, everything is about not showing weakness, for him, and being able to be the strongest mentally and physically. So, nobody is worried about him. We all know that he wants to be on the court every time we play. We also know he's going to be prepared when the time comes.

"I think he's fine. I am pretty sure if you all asked him he'd be fine too. But, I think it's whatever it takes to win. We've seen people step up throughout the whole year - I guess the last two years. We'll continue to do that. But, I guess supporting him is just, honestly, whatever he needs."

There are two truths in what seems to be Brown's injury reality: The first is, he's incredibly tough and will pretty much play through any ailment, for better or worse. But also, the C's have somewhat of a track record of playing down injuries to the public.

So, his status is probably nuanced. One can be pretty confident that he will take the court come the start of playoffs on Sunday, but that does not mean he's 100% healthy. Brown's willingness to play through injury just to help his team is admirable, but he also might not need to rush back just for the first series, which the Celtics are heavily favored to win.

At the end of the day, Brown is 1B for the C's. If they want to repeat as champions, his contribution is more valuable in full form later on than it is at partial form in round one.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.