Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens took time to shed some light on Jaylen Brown’s injury Friday night.
Brown sustained a maxillary facial fracture in the second quarter of Wednesday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Initial reporting made it seem like Brown could miss an extended period of time before the Celtics star posted a picture on social media of his swollen face, stating he had a facial mask on the way.
While the updates on Brown’s health in the immediate aftermath of the injury provided little detail, Stevens gave more context on where Brown stands in his recovery, and most important of all, ruled out the worst-case scenario for the two-time All-Star.
“The latest with the Jaylen information is it looks like no surgery,” Stevens told reporters prior to Boston’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets, per NBC Sports Boston. “But we’re going to see how he feels over the next few days. He’s already been fitted for a mask. He’s still feeling it. Doesn’t feel great.
“So, we’ll see how he feels when he starts moving around. And then we’ll get together early in the week and kind of figure out what’s next. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be too long, which is a good thing.”
That’s certainly a promising update on Brown, who suffered the injury after he collided with Jayson Tatum on the baseline going after an offensive rebound.
After Friday’s tilt with the Hornets, the Celtics have only three games remaining before the All-Star break. That could create even more time for Brown to heal since Boston probably won’t be in any rush to quickly bring him back.
Whether Brown still suits up for the All-Star Game is uncertain, but he earned the nod after averaging a career-high 26.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season.
