Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown lost some noteworthy award eligibility when the team released its latest injury report Thursday.

Brown, dealing with a right knee posterior impingement, was the only roster member listed on the team’s injury report for Friday night’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. He’s ruled out, and it continues the team’s conservative approach aimed at keeping the premier cast members fresh for the start of the playoffs. It also makes Brown officially ineligible for a notable honor: The 2024-25 All-NBA Team.

Since Brown has only logged 63 appearances this season and Friday night is the second-to-last regular season contest for the Celtics, the 28-year-old won’t reach the 65-game minimum mark. Brown was last named to the All-NBA (second) team following the 2022-23 season, and while the four-time All-Star will fall short this go-around, it doesn’t mitigate everything Brown’s managed to deliver in Year 9.

If Brown doesn’t appear in Sunday’s regular-season finale, he’ll finish averaging 22.2 points with 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists alongside 46.3% shooting splits from the field and 32.4% from 3-point range. Brown has had another solid season, playing co-star to teammate Jayson Tatum in guiding the Celtics to another favorable position as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Boston sat out its entire starting lineup — Brown, Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday — during Wednesday night’s lopsided loss to the Orlando Magic. Brown’s knee, for the past few weeks, has been a looming concern, giving the Celtics all the reason to believe a cautionary approach is the right way to go.

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“I haven’t felt my best over the last couple of days, the last couple of weeks,” Brown told reporters during his most recent appearance, last Friday against the Phoenix Suns, per CLNS Media. “But you kind of just gotta roll with the punches, I guess. It is what it is. It sucks. I wish I could share more details, but whatever my team needs, whatever I can do, whatever I got, I’m gonna give. So I’m looking forward to taking it one day at a time and I’m hopeful that some things will improve over the course of these next two weeks or so.”

It’s a difficult decision, especially for Brown. Two seasons ago, Brown expressed feelings of being underappreciated and undervalued in the league, as his name would rarely get brought up in the All-NBA discourse.

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The Celtics did their part in reassuring Brown’s appreciation in Boston by signing him to a five-year, $304 million contract extension — the largest signed in NBA history at the time. It helped, but Brown’s chase for validation across the league continues, and most recently reappeared during USA Basketball’s gold medal run last summer. Brown wasn’t selected over teammates Holiday and White without an elaborate explanation from Team USA’s coaching staff amid — and after — the controversy.

Brown’s value to the Celtics can’t be understated, especially come playoff time.

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Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t receive an encouraging performance from the role-player-filled lineup the Celtics ran with in Orlando, which was comprised of Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, Sam Hauser, Torrey Craig and Luke Kornet. And while rotations shrink once the playoffs start, depth is key.

If Brown isn’t feeling 100% when the Celtics enter the first round, either against the Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat, they’ll need a fill-in boost.

Until that time comes, those from Boston’s stay-ready crew will have eight quarters left against Charlotte to leave a strong impression.

Featured image via John Jones/Imagn Images