The Celtics would have to fight for a playoff spot without one of their most important players.
Boston announced Monday night All-Star forward Jaylen Brown has suffered a torn scapholistic ligament in her left wrist and will miss the rest of the 2020-21 season. He is expected to have surgery later this week.
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The Celtics did not offer any specific timetable for Brown’s return to court, But as Athletic’s Jared Weiss noted, Boston guard Romeo Langford suffered the same injury last year and took nearly six months to recover. If Brown remains around until that time, he should be available to join the lineup for the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Brown dealt with injury and COVID-19 issues throughout the season, but the 24-year-old still managed to earn his first All-Star selection with some of the best individual points of his career. He shot a career-high 24.7 points while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from 3-point range.
Brown went on to have many career highs this season, making his first All-Star appearance. PPG (24.7), APG (3.4), Steals PG (1.2), Blocks PG (0.6), FG pct (48.4) and 3-pt FG pct (39.7).
He played 11 games in at least 30 PT after just 8 games combined in his 4 seasons. https://t.co/pTBqNo0Ck3
– ESPN Stats and Information (@ESPNStatsInfo) 10 May, 2021
Without Brown being available, Boston would rely too much on Jason Tatum and Kemba Walker to produce offensively. The Celtics will also need more than trade deadline acquisition Evan Fournier, who scored 30 points most recently in a loss to the Heat on Sunday – his highest scoring output since joining the team.
Even if other players step into Brown’s absence, the Celtics, currently the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference standings, are unlikely to make a deep run in the 2021 NBA playoffs. They will face a tough fight in a possible first-round series against the 76ers, Nets or Bucks, the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference.
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