With the regular season approaching its end, it is mostly an endurance game at this point. Staying healthy for the playoffs is the top priority. Last year, the Celtics were extremely lucky in that department, which is one of the reasons they won the championship. Unfortunately, that’s not the case this year, as Jaylen Brown is dealing with a lingering knee injury. Instead of resting to let it heal, he has decided to play through it. But Joe Mazzulla doesn’t seem too worried, as he has complete faith in JB and the Celtics’ staff.

Revealing his thoughts on Brown’s controversial decision, Mazzulla said after last night’s Spurs clash, “I mean you trust him. You trust the sports science team. You trust the trainers, you trust him. And you know he’s taking care of his body and he’s doing everything he can to be available and he takes pride in that. So, just constant communication and then constant trust, with him and the staff.”

Well, Jaylen recently missed three straight games due to a right knee posterior impingement but returned to the lineup on Monday against the Kings. He later revealed that he hadn’t fully recovered but was happy to be back, “I’m still working my way back, just building up. I’ve been on a minute restriction but still just making the right steps. My body still doesn’t feel 100 percent, but today was a good step in the right direction.”

So, if Brown wants to play and the medical staff has cleared him to play, then Mazzulla has no problem keeping him in the lineup. The head coach also praised JB’s 14-point performance against the Spurs, “I mean I think we’re just doing a good job of finding him. He’s being more aggressive. He got some open corner threes. He’s doing a great job attacking his matchup and getting into the paint.” Further revealing his expectations from Brown, Joe said, “We need him to be aggressive for us to be dynamic and he’s doing a great job of that. So, he’s gotta continue to do that.”

JB’s back-to-back double-digit performances are a clear sign that he is starting to find his groove again. And that’s what the Cs need just days away from the playoffs. However, Mazzulla seemed a bit cautious about his usage of Brown yesterday in San Antonio.

Joe Mazzulla benches Jaylen Brown against Spurs after Celtics star reveals ‘mental challenge’

Although Brown started the game last night like he usually does, he did not finish. Taking an unfamiliar approach, Mazzulla benched the reigning Finals MVP from the closing lineup and replaced him with Center Luke Kornet. He likely went with two bigs to gain a size advantage on the Spurs, who are without Victor Wembanyama as he continues to recover from deep vein thrombosis.

Obviously, Brown’s minute restriction also played a part in the decision. Well, the strategy clearly worked as the Celtics won by ten points, extending their winning streak to eight games.

However, the late game benching could affect Brown’s psyche, who is already dealing with struggles due to the knee injury. Earlier this week, he made a concerning confession, “I haven’t really had issues with my knees ever in my career, so I’m just trying to find a good routine to make sure I’m prepared and ready to go every night. But it’s definitely been a challenge mentally and stuff like that.”

Although Mazzulla replaced JB last night, the Celtics will need him in the playoffs at complete strength to boost their chances of going back-to-back. So, all eyes will be on how they manage Brown’s injury going forward and get him prepared for the postseason.