Jaylen Brown does not appear to be perfectly healthy heading into the playoffs, and he has decided to take drastic steps to speed up his healing process. Led by Brown, who is the reigning Finals MVP, the Boston Celtics hope to defend the title they won in 2024 over the Dallas Mavericks.
Having a healthy Brown on the team’s roster is crucial to its success. Although the Celtics have a deep bench with enough talent, losing one of their best players is no small issue. Since Brown has been playing through this injury for more than a month, fans might not even be aware of what he has been dealing with.
Jaylen Brown Receiving Pain Management Injections for His Right Knee
The basketball community was caught off guard when reports revealing that the Celtics star has received pain management injections were made public. While some may have remembered that he was dealing with a bone bruise on his right knee, the fact that his injury was this troublesome and required injections is quite problematic.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Brown took painkiller injections to foster healing and improve the Celtics’ chances for a title defense in the upcoming playoffs. His bone bruise undoubtedly took a toll on his impact, as Brown has played fewer minutes the past several weeks than normal.
Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown received pain management injections in his troublesome right knee this week in an effort promote healing before the Celtics begin their title defense, league sources told ESPN. https://t.co/8WSceFfUwp https://t.co/8WSceFfUwp
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 12, 2025
This injury also caused Brown to miss a recent game against the Orlando Magic. Since that means he will not have met the 65-game threshold, Brown will not be eligible for any postseason awards. He is also averaging just 22.2 points per game this season. Although that is very respectable compared to an average player, it is the lowest he has scored since the 2019-20 season.
Sports doctors have opined that Brown’s long-term bone bruise could actually be cartilage/meniscus irritation. It is also possible that Brown took some form of steroid injection to improve healing, as opposed to an orthobiologic injection like PRP, since PRP takes four to six weeks for the effects to take place.
The supposed bone bruise that’s been bothering him for a year is likely not really a bone bruise and probably more cartilage/meniscus irritation.
Also, “pain management” injections and “to promote healing” typically don’t go together unless it was an orthobiologic injection… https://t.co/P4lUhddHiD
— Brian Sutterer MD (@BrianSuttererMD) April 12, 2025
In any case, debating what exactly Brown is ailing from and whether the reports on his injections are accurate do not change the overall situation. The Celtics star is desperate to return to full strength before the playoffs begin. Hopefully, he will make a full recovery and help his team win.
The Celtics are 60-21 and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. If they want to defend their title for a second season, they will likely need Brown to be at his best to make a run in a competitive environment.