The Celtics will begin their season on Wednesday night without potentially two All-Stars in the lineup. Boston listed Jaylen Brown as questionable for the matchup with a left hamstring strain. Jayson Tatum is the only other player on the team’s injury report, as he remains out indefinitely while recovering from a torn Achilles.
Brown has taken part in the team’s last two practices after suffering the hamstring injury on Wednesday’s preseason finale against the Raptors. The athletic wing downplayed the injury that forced him to head back to the locker room immediately upon his departure in the first half.
“I wasn’t too concerned,” Brown said Monday. I think it was nothing. I was fine. Maybe a little tweak, but nothing crazy.”
Brown and Joe Mazzulla have been hesitant to fully commit to Brown’s availability against the 76ers despite Brown making strides in practice with his recovery. He is expected to be surrounded by Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Neemais Queta in a new-look lineup for Boston after an offseason roster overhaul. Brown is eager to see how that group looks together playing at a faster tempo after the toughest training camp of Brown’s career.
“I think Joe’s done a great job of setting the tone, the pace, the energy, the style that we need to survive and the style that we need to play every single night,” Brown said Monday. “Obviously we’re less talented than we have been before, less experienced than we have been before, so this is the style of basketball we have to play. We have to double down on it if we want to be successful.”
The Celtics face a 76ers team that are expected to have Joel Embiid available in the opener on Wednesday night but not Paul George, who is still recovering from offseason knee surgery.
“It’s one of the funner times of the NBA season,” Brown said. “It’s like the first game, it’s just like the first day of school. Got your outfit lined up, the shoes lined up, you’re ready to go. So I’m looking forward to it.”
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