Celtics get encouraging Jaylen Brown sign amid injury scare

With a little under five minutes to go in the first quarter, Brown took the ball down the court for the Celtics. As he was handling the rock, he felt his left hamstring tighten up, forcing him to pass the ball to Anfernee Simons who proceeded to turn the ball over. With the Raptors getting out in transition, Brown was clearly unable to proceed, as he clutched onto his left hamstring and motioned to the bench to come out of the game.

The good news is that this is merely preseason basketball, so games don’t count quite yet towards a team’s win-loss record. This was also the Celtics’ final game of the exhibition season, so Brown should have plenty of rest before they open the season next Wednesday with a contest against the Philadelphia 76ers at home.

Jaylen Brown will bear first option duties for the Celtics this year

Brown, for the first time in his career, will be tasked to lead a team’s offense, as the Celtics will be relying on him to be their number-one option with superstar Jayson Tatum still recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

For years, Brown has been the subject of criticisms for his lack of an off-hand, and his playmaking needs a lot of work as well. Nonetheless, the Celtics can provide an opportunity for Brown to expand his game, as he will have to flourish if Boston were to remain a playoff team in the weaker Eastern Conference.