The Boston Celtics could lose another one of their stars, straying further away from having the best starting 5. With Kristaps Porzingis, looking to make his return in December, Jaylen Brown could also miss a few more games. He has been in red-hot form for the C’s and they do have depth in their roster, but JB is irreplaceable! “I don’t like to miss games, especially at the start of the year, but it’s been bothering me. It’s been 2½ weeks,” said the 2024 Finals MVP while opening up about his injury to the Globe.

In his first six games, Brown has put up averages of 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists over 36.0 minutes each night. Although he started the season strong with his shooting, his accuracy has since dropped to 26.7% from three and 40.0% from the field overall.

Brown shared with the Globe that the left hip flexor issue, which sidelined him during the Celtics’ 113-103 win on Saturday, has actually been bothering him for several weeks. After logging 37 minutes in Friday’s 124-109 victory, Jay was pulled out from the lineup on Saturday. The 3x All-Star had an MRI, 2 weeks ago, confirming a strain, and with recent worsening symptoms, he plans to undergo another scan in the coming days. The 28-year-old has been braving the pain since the training camp revealed Joe Mazzulla.

“He’s been playing through it for a little while. So we’ll see how he just goes every day…” The C’s HC also revealed he had asked JB about his condition after the recent game and got the typical thumbs up from the player, as he revealed, “He said he was fine.”

Chris Forsberg on NBC Sports said, “Anytime you’re talking about one of your players having to do MRIs, not a great thing. I would hope it’s just precautionary here. He probably had some soreness coming back into the season, not a long off-season. All those underwater workouts, doesn’t matter. Like he was busy through the off-season and so like, probably good to get a look at it.”

“He did not look himself in that Indiana game and did not have the same explosion. The same bounce that he normally has. So I’d be a little bit more worried if he didn’t look as good as he did the first night in Charlotte, you know, kind of had that explosion back”.

It would be imperative for the C’s to have Brown healthy as early as possible with the Atlanta Hawks and the Golden State Warriors game coming up. Atlanta is his hometown and we all know the C’s have extra drive when facing Steve Kerr’s team.

The Celtics emerge victors despite the absence of key Jaylen Brown

The Celtics built on their Friday night victory over the Charlotte Hornets with a 113-103 win in their second back-to-back, likely ignited by a hard foul from former Boston forward Grant Williams in the first game. Boston played with intensity, quickly taking control and only briefly trailing by 2 points early on, even while shooting just 30.8% from three-point range. Standout performances from Jayson Tatum (29 points, 7 rebounds), Luke Kornet (19 points), and Derrick White (18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) helped cover for Brown.

Off the bench, Payton Pritchard (22 points) added crucial scoring support. This win pushes the Celtics to a 6-1 record, keeping them in the second spot in the Eastern Conference standings. With Brown sitting out tonight and Joe Mazzulla listing him as day-to-day, it seems likely the Finals MVP will make a swift return. After beating the Hornets back-to-back, the Celtics head to Atlanta for a matchup with the Hawks on Monday, followed by a rest day on Tuesday for the U.S. election. The team will then return to Boston for two home games, hosting the Warriors on Wednesday and the Brooklyn Nets on Friday to close out the week.

Currently riding a hot streak, as they chase another ring, the Celtics aren’t overly concerned about Jaylen Brown’s injury just yet. That said, if he’s sidelined for an extended period this season, it could potentially impact their bid for a second consecutive championship.