Celtics notebook: Jaylen Brown says he’s pain-free but tight

Based on his history with hamstring injuries, Jaylen Brown knows that recovery can’t be rushed.

That’s why the Celtics star believes that the one-to-two-week timeline originally given for his return is just about right, with about a week-and-a-half to go after suffering the injury last Saturday in Miami.

“Could be before then, just based upon how today’s session went, tomorrow’s session goes, and we go from there,” he said after working out on the side following Wednesday’s shootaround. “We assess from there. These things could last longer or they can heal up pretty quick. So I think one or two weeks was about right.”

And if that means Brown has to be cautious, then so be it. He said he’s currently pain-free, but with some tightness.

“I think the concern is, because it was, I think, maybe a year ago before the season kind of shut down, I had the same injury,” he said. “So I just re-injured the same injury. So I think that was more of the concern, but as far as hamstring injuries go, this is my lightest one I think that I’ve had. So I’m not overly concerned about it, but I do want to make sure that it’s not an ongoing issue. So they want to make sure I do all the proper stuff this time to make sure this doesn’t happen again later in the season.

“It’s getting better. Got some good work today. Working with the team, trying to get back on the court. It’s getting a lot better,” said Brown. “It was just one play in the Miami game, towards the end of the third quarter. Tried to, like, explode off and kinda felt a little pull. It’s grade one, so it’s nothing severe. But anybody who’s had hamstring injuries knows it can be uncomfortable. So I’m just working to get back so I can be able to be with the team.”

His checklist for return is fairly simple.

“Just burst without pain. Being able to get up out the car, get out the bed, sit down and stuff without any pain in your hamstring or anything like that,” said Brown. “Being able to run, of course, and then after, I guess it’s, after you’re feeling well, what does it feel like after. You know, does it swell up? Does it get aggravated, you know all those type of little things.”

Sneaker wars

Brown, formerly an Adidas client, is on the hunt for a new sneaker contract, and has a lot of factors to take into consideration.

“A lot, to be honest. I’m at the point in my career where I’ve been able to establish brands, so I want the companies that I go with to match kind of some of my brand values, and some brands, you know, they’ll have, oh, what do you say, what’s the word?” he said. “Some brands have an expectancy, you know, where ‘we’ve been this brand, we’re not doing anything different,’ but it’s a new day and age.

“It’s 2021, about to be 2022 in two months, I think that the current athlete, the model of athlete, has changed a lot. I think I like to represent that in order to be a voice on and off the court. … So I’m looking for a shoe company that’s progressive, cutting edge, that keeps an open mind, that’s also leaning towards doing things in the community, as well as environmentally-friendly, sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable products. I’m looking for the brand of the future, not the brand of the past.”

Changing dynamic

The loss of Brown, even for a short time, changes the Celtics’ offensive dynamic.

“Obviously, take advantage of some of the other playmakers we have,” said coach Ime Udoka. “We have to stagger some guys. Usually that’s a Jaylen and Jayson (Tatum) thing, they’re playing together at times but also staggering them so one of those guys is on the court. Now it’s really we’re putting it in Dennis (Schroder)’s hands, relying on some of our other guys to make plays as well. But it changes our bench dynamic as well. So play-calling’s a little bit different there when you have certain lineups in, but still we’re relying on our guys to make plays and take the open shot when it’s there. I think we’ve done that all year. So it doesn’t change a ton. It’s just some of the play calls we would give Jaylen, we’re spreading out to other guys.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3ofsrex