Jaylen Brown ruled out of Friday's game with Celtics prioritizing rest over awards

Boston Globe

10-04-2025

Brown worked out prior to the
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Brown is slightly limping each time he lands after soaring for a layup and runs gingerly down the floor, trying to protect the knee from any unintentional missteps that could further aggravate the injury. But he's been able to put together some impressive performances in the past few weeks.
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After taking three games off, Brown tallied 24 points in a win at the Suns, including a thunderous dunk and roar. He scored 24 with a hot second half in a home loss to the Heat and then scored 31 two nights later in a rematch with the Suns.
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He played just 21 minutes against the Washington Wizards and scored 15 in a blowout win. It appeared Brown was progressing, learning how to play with considerable pain, but his play
Brown scored 6 points in nearly 22 minutes with three turnovers. He had no burst. He seemingly curated every step to ensure he avoided injury. He was held out of the game in the fourth quarter and overtime. Mazzulla said Brown's shown the ability to play with the injury.
It's uncertain why he got the night off against the Magic, besides Mazzulla not wanting to play Brown in back-to-backs, but the fact he was ruled out Friday more than 24 hours before tipoff is an indication he needs rest and rehab. He has said the 65-game mark is not important but there was a definite opportunity for Brown to make an All-NBA team.
And that's partly because there are several players who won't reach the 65-game minimum. Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Franz Wagner, De'Aaron Fox and Norman Powell are all ineligible for awards, giving Brown more of a chance for his second All-NBA selection.
The question was whether playing more games over complete rest would delay the recovery process. The Celtics will have perhaps six days off after Sunday afternoon's season finale against the Hornets, giving the team time to practice, rest and prepare for their first-round series.
The Celtics and perhaps Brown decided it was not worth further injury to meet the 65-game limit and give him reps against a bunch of reserves and G-Leaguers. Despite the injury, he has flourished at times with his Paul Pierce-like low post game, using his size and strength to dominate in the low post.
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Despite the injuries, including a bone bruise in his thigh, Brown has been better statistically after the All-Star Break. He is shooting better from the field (47.2 to 46.1 percent), from the 3-point line (32.4 to 32.5 percent) and most important from the free throw line (74.6 to 82.1 percent) and his plus-minus soared from +7.4 to +14.4.
One of the reasons the Celtics are 20-5 since the All-Star Break has been the ascension of Brown, which makes him critical to the team's success in the playoffs.
Playing in the final two games could have been considered selfish, but the NBA decided to tie games played to league awards to discourage load management and players just taking games off because they don't feel like playing and still getting the benefits of the those who play through pain, play in front of road fans and play even when it's not convenient.
Can't blame Brown for wanting to play instead of being part of a generation of players who want constant rest and have no issue with missing games, even in their heart, they know they're healthy enough to play.
While it may have been prudent to rest Brown prior to Friday, it's unfair to call him selfish for wanting to put in a hard day's work. Luckily for the Celtics, they don't have superstars who are cool with missing 17 games per season. Load management has never really been an issue in Boston, so perhaps Brown deserves a pass for wanting to be out there for his team and, of course, Mazzulla ensured he didn't log heavy minutes and saved him from exertion when it appears he's laboring.
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Resting is the best thing for Brown now and the hope is he'll be closer to himself by next Sunday.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at