Yardbarker
x
Concerning Jaylen Brown Status Could Have Major Impact on 76ers
Dec 25, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during a break in game action against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for their first meeting against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, Philly’s first opponent of the year could be missing another key star.

Jaylen Brown has landed on the Celtics’ injury report. Since the end of the preseason, Brown has been dealing with hamstring-related concerns, which put his status for Wednesday’s game in jeopardy.

When the Celtics released their official injury report on Tuesday night, Brown’s name was on the sheet. The team listed him as questionable, citing a left hamstring strain as the reason why he’s in danger of missing the season opener for Boston.

The Celtics have a dynamic duo in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Unfortunately for them, Tatum is guaranteed to miss Wednesday’s action and much more.

During the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics watched Tatum go down with an unfortunate Achilles injury. He had to undergo surgery, and immediately thought his 2025-2026 season could be over.

At this point, Tatum is teasing a potential comeback much later in the year. While he could still be deemed a long shot to make it back out on the court for Boston, he certainly won’t rule out the idea.

For the time being, the game will run through Brown, who has been a top co-star of Tatum’s over the years. Since entering the NBA in 2016, Brown has served an important role for the Celtics that only grew bigger over time. After seeing the court for 17 minutes per game in 2016, Brown eventually became a full-time starter.

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

By 2021, Brown entered the All-Star picture in the NBA. Since then, he’s been an All-Star four times, cracking the big game over the past three seasons.

Last year, Brown appeared in 63 games for the Celtics. Seeing the court for roughly 34 minutes per game, Brown averaged 22.2 points, while shooting 46 percent from the field and knocking down 32 percent of his threes, taking 5.7 attempts per game.

Along with his scoring, Brown averaged 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He also had 1.2 steals per game on the defensive end of the floor.

Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Celtics don’t have a ton of data on life without Tatum, considering he’s had great health throughout his career. However, they do have a winning record in his absence (29-22).

The Celtics will have a much different look going into Wednesday’s action against the Sixers. After the season that the Sixers just had, they must take advantage of the shortcomings on the other side, as they need to get off to a strong start after missing the playoffs for the first time in years last season.


This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!