Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen
Brown will be out of action for one to two weeks with a right hamstring strain, per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
The news comes on the same day that Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that the Celtics have “engaged in conversations” with the Philadelphia 76ers regarding wantaway power forward Ben Simmons. Charania added that those discussions “have been fluid with no traction as of yet,” and any deal “would have to include” Brown going to Philadelphia.
Brown is putting together another
terrific season for the Celtics. He’s averaged 25.6 points, 6.1
rebounds and 2.5 assists across eight appearances, continuing a
pretty constant upward trajectory since the franchise selected him
with the third overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft.
Injuries have slowed the
25-year-old Cal product down from time to time, and head coach Ime
Udoka said that’s why the team proceeded with caution when the standout
guard suffered a hamstring injury during a Nov. 4 game against the
Miami Heat.
“He had some tightness in his
hamstring,” Udoka said. “He has a little history of stuff over
there, so we wanted to be cautious and get it checked out.”
Josh Richardson should see the biggest
uptick in minutes while Brown is sidelined. Romeo Langford and
Payton Pritchard are also options for more backcourt playing time.
Boston features a tremendous one-two
offensive punch in Brown and Jayson Tatum, but getting consistent
production from other players at that end of the floor has been an
issue at times. The scoring depth will be seriously tested while the 2021 All-Star is out.