Jaylen Brown likes the aesthetic look of his protective face mask, but the Boston Celtics star admitted it presents more challenges on the court than he probably would have hoped for.
And due to that, Brown told reporters following Wednesday’s 115-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden that he’s getting “tired” of having to wear the black mask, according to MassLive’s Souichi Terada.
Brown has worn the face covering for seven games now after he suffered a facial fracture when he collided with teammate Jayson Tatum going for a rebound on Feb. 25 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I know it looks cool, but sometimes it’s hard to breathe,” Brown told reporters, per MassLive’s Souichi Terada. “It kind of limits your vision at times depending on the lighting and depth perception. But y’all don’t want to hear none of that, that’s something like excuses and stuff. Come out each and every night and make it happen.”
Brown initially missed four consecutive games after sustaining the injury and debuted his mask while playing at the All-Star Game.
The veteran guard’s numbers haven’t changed all that much while wearing the mask as he’s right around his season averages. He’s putting up 25.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game since donning his new accessory, but netted just 11 points in a cakewalk of a win over the Trail Blazers.
While there’s been no definitive timeline established for how long he’ll have to don the shield, Brown told reporters two weeks ago after a win over the Indiana Pacers that he expected to keep wearing it for four to six weeks.
So, even though Brown has become frustrated with the mask and its side effects, it appears it will still be part of his uniform as the Celtics begin a six-game road trip starting Saturday.
“I’m having like headaches, been going from the last couple weeks, just from the pressure and whatnot,” Brown told reporters, per Terada. “But I’m trending in the right direction, so that’s all that matters.”
