The Boston Celtics are essentially locked into the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed entering the final week of the season.
But there’s one interesting storyline worth monitoring over the final four games of the season.
Jaylen Brown, who’s been dealing with a nagging right knee injury and admitted he was “in some pain” during the Celtics’ win over the Miami Heat last Wednesday, has played in 62 games this season as of Monday.
If Brown wants to be eligible to earn All-NBA honors and be nominated for end-of-season awards like Defensive Player of the Year, he needs to meet the following criteria:
- 65 games played
- At least 20 minutes played in at least 65 games
- Two “near misses” allowed (games with at least 15 minutes played)
Brown insisted last week that the games-played threshold has zero impact on his decision to play or not play as he manages his knee injury. But the fact that he’s suited up in each of the last three games suggests he’ll try to reach the 65-game mark down the stretch.
Based on that criteria above, Brown can become All-NBA eligible by playing in three of Boston’s final four games. He only needs to play 20 minutes in each of those games, however, and because he’s played 20 minutes or more in every game to date this season, he still has both of his “near misses,” meaning he can be limited to 15 minutes in two of the Celtics’ final four games.
Here’s a look at Boston’s remaining schedule:
- Tuesday, April 8: at New York Knicks
- Wednesday, April 9: at Orlando Magic
- Friday, April 11: vs. Charlotte Hornets
- Sunday, April 13: vs. Hornets
If the C’s want to manage Brown’s minutes while getting him to 65 games, a logical plan would be playing him against the Knicks, resting him on the second night of a back-to-back against the Magic, and then limiting him to as close to 15 minutes as possible in each of Boston’s final two games against the Hornets.
Some Celtics fans may want to just see Brown rest down the stretch to make sure his knee gets right for the playoffs, especially since there’s no guarantee he even makes an All-NBA squad. But Brown believes there’s value in learning to play through the pain, which he suggested won’t be going away any time soon.
“Pain is definitely a physical thing, but it also is a mental thing,” Brown said last week. “So, (head coach) Joe (Mazzulla) has allowed me, even though my team visibly can see maybe I’m in a bit of pain, they trust me to go out there and I can control my body and still be able to make plays and mentally, be able to push through it.
“I think that’s going to be something I’m gonna have to have in my back pocket.”
The Celtics also will have about a week off between their season finale and the start of the first round, as the NBA play-in tournament runs from April 15-18. So, don’t be surprised if you continue to see Brown in action as the regular season wraps up.
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