It doesn’t seem as though Jaylen Brown’s ankle injury will keep him sidelined for long.
The Celtics guard wanted to return to Boston’s eventual win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday at TD Garden despite spraining his ankle, but he remained on the sideline.
Brown did not practice Wednesday, and is “unlikely” to play Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies while he deals with “some swelling and some pain.
The good news for the Celtics, though, is that they don’t see Brown’s injury as long-term.
“We’re going to be smart at this point of the season regardless,” head coach Ime Udoka told reporters after Wednesday’s practice, per NBC Sports Boston. “It’s a matter of swelling and pain tolerance at some point. The fact that it’s not Grade 2, 3 tear or whatever where ligaments have been torn obviously bodes well for him. It’s a little bit different than a muscular injury, where you have to kind of take your time on that. It’s really about pain tolerance and getting the swelling out and flexibility back in.”
The Celtics are wise to not rush Brown back to action, but they certainly will miss him Thursday night when Boston hosts Ja Morant and the Grizzlies.
