Jaylen Brown is back on the court but he isn't feeling quite right.
The Boston Celtics star revealed to reporters Friday lingering effects of COVID-19 have hindered him early in the 2021-22 season. After testing positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 8, Brown returned for the Celtics' season opener, in which he delivered a monster performance. However, he since has struggled to play well consistently, and his problems recovering from games might be to blame.
"I was surprised that my body didn't respond the way it normally responds," Brown said at a press conference, per The Boston Herald's Mark Murphy. "I'm usually able to have that zip, that pop, flying up and down the court but it wasn't there.
" ... I gotta be better and get with my medical staff and figure how to get my body to the point where I feel normal. "Some days I feel fantastic and then it’s like two to three days, it takes my body too long to feel fantastic again. That's an issue for me. As I navigate that, we have to still tighten up on the details, tighten up on our defense and find a way to win games. Even though I don't feel the same on the court, I could still be better in certain areas and detailed in certain areas. That’s more the conversation that we have."
Brown and the Celtics medical staff have concluded he still is feeling the effects of COVID-19.
"I talked to them and that definitely is a side-effect or a symptom," Brown told reporters, per Murphy. "My breathing was more of my concern and I'm breathing fine, but I'm just not recovering as fast as I would like. And I'm having some joint pains, and that's a part of COVID as well.
"So I think that some increase in pain, so I think that is a part of it. As I continue to fight through it and continue to play more games and get the right stuff into my system, it will get better. Right now it has been inconsistent. I think that's obvious. But my body hasn't felt the same."
Brown is averaging 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this season. However, Celtics observers note he has shot well in two of those games and poorly in the other two.
Perhaps the lingering effects of COVID-19 will fade over time, allowing Brown to overcome the inconsistency he and the Celtics have shown this season.
