Jaylen Brown wasn’t even as locked in to play on Sunday, but you wouldn’t have guessed it by the way he led Boston past Denver. He finished with 22 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds, despite being listed as questionable with right knee pain just hours before tipoff. Lately, Brown’s been taking a beating. He missed Wednesday’s game against Detroit after suffering a thigh contusion in Toronto.

But instead of sitting out longer, he powered through on Friday, dropping 37 points against Cleveland. Now, the knee pain is a new addition to his list of bumps and bruises, but that didn’t stop him from showing up and delivering when Boston needed him. This season, the Celtics have managed a 7-3 record without him on the floor.

After Boston’s win over the Nuggets, a reporter asked him about his latest issue—right knee pain.

“Um, I’m not sure. It’s been bothering me since, uh, before the break,” Brown admitted. “Um, something I’ll definitely take a look at, but you know, um, is this the season, I’m, you know, making excuses for, but, um, just, you know, try to take care of my body as best as possible and get out there. And do what my team needs me to do. Um, so we’ll see how it [goes] going forward.”

Despite dealing with lingering pain, Brown continues to push through, doing whatever it takes to stay on the court for the Celtics. But the Celtics fans should be worried because their 2 other stars, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, key players for the C’s don’t look good either.

Holiday isn’t just a defensive powerhouse—he’s the glue that keeps Boston’s offense flowing. But injuries have been piling up, making his impact harder to see.

First, it was a shoulder impingement slowing him down before the All-Star break. Now, it’s a mallet finger keeping him out of the lineup. In the last ten games, he’s missed seven, and the Celtics are feeling it. What’s worse is that the 34-year-old guard has revealed that he doesn’t know how long he’ll be out for as he’s never dealt with it before.

Whereas Porzingis missed his 2nd game because of an illness. The lingering issue had already sidelined him for three of Boston’s last four games. His only appearance came on Wednesday, but he struggled before the team ruled him out for the start of their homestand. With Porzingis out, Neemias Queta saw some minutes

Neemias Queta backed up Jaylen Brown’s confidence in him

After collapsing against Cleveland, the Celtics couldn’t afford another letdown against the Nuggets. When Christian Braun’s three cut Boston’s lead to 99-94 in the fourth, Derrick White stepped in with a timely response to keep them ahead. Missing both Holiday and Porzingis, the Celtics still pulled out a 110-103 win.

Porzingis’ absence opened the door for Queta, and he took full advantage. The 25-year-old big man played 17 minutes, scoring eight points on 4-5 shooting and grabbing 10 rebounds. It was his first double-digit rebounding game since Boston’s overtime NBA Cup matchup against Brooklyn in November.

Queta, once a G League standout, has played 46 games this season but only started five. Averaging 14.1 minutes per game, he’s earning more trust from Joe Mazzulla, who praised his progress. “He’s got a high ceiling and he’s getting better and better,” Mazzulla said postgame.

Jaylen Brown has also been vocal in his support of Queta’s development. Speaking to Sport TV Portugal on February 21, Brown expressed confidence in the young center’s future.

“He’s gonna be a good player in this league because he has the ability to learn,” Brown said. “I like Neemy, he’s athletic, he’s big, so I can just throw the ball up and he can go get it.”

With Boston pushing for a title, Queta’s continued growth could give the team another valuable weapon down the stretch.