Inside The Celtics

Jaylen Brown Provides Update on Injured Shooting Hand, Opens Up About Playing Hometown Hawks

After a right-hand laceration requiring five stitches, Jaylen Brown returned to Celtics' practice on Thursday.

Bobby Krivitsky

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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Jaylen Brown averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game this season, all career highs. He earned his second All-Star Game selection and might make an All-NBA team.

But a right-hand laceration ended Brown's season two games early. Before the Celtics' 121-102 win over the Raptors last Friday, he said he cut it picking up a glass vase he knocked over while watering his plants, requiring five stitches.

The former California Golden Bear returned to practice on Thursday, two days before Boston hosts the Hawks in Game 1 of their first-round matchup.

Friday, at the Red Auerbach Center, Brown said of his injured shooting hand, "I feel a lot better...I got the stitches out yesterday. It's healing pretty good, so I should be fine."

Thursday, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston captured this year's Red Auerbach Award winner practicing with a small wrap near his right index finger.

Over the last two days, Brown says he's tried various methods before finding a solution that he was comfortable with.

He conveyed it lessens the pain and maybe impacts the feel of the ball in his hand a little bit, but "this time, you've got to be able to adjust...It's the playoffs, everybody is dealing with something, so it's unfortunate, but I'm not going to let it stop me."

Asked whether he received a timeline for when this will be in the rearview, Brown replied, "Not really; no real timeline; I guess maybe, like a week or so, a week to two weeks. I think I'm in that range right now, so about right now, I guess."

The Atlanta native also offered his thoughts on a first-round matchup against his hometown team, including who's most responsible for making it happen.

"It was a great feeling. My grandma, she called me like two weeks back, she was like, 'you're gonna be back here,' when we played Atlanta like a month ago, maybe. She was like, 'You're gonna be here,' I was like, 'How (do) you know?' She was like, 'Trust me.' So, I guess you can thank my grandma for that."

Brown later expressed about the Peach State, "It's home; nothing like home. I went to high school there. I won a state championship there, Player of the Year there. (I) grew up there, family there, friends there. So, Atlanta is definitely, no other words to describe it; it's home. So, to be able to start this journey, (and) hopefully, encapsulate it, moving on to the next series, would be a great feeling."

Further Reading

Newest Detail About the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement Has Direct Impact on Celtics' Negotiations with Jaylen Brown

Despite the Familiarity of Title Contention, Jayson Tatum Doesn't Take Celtics' Success for Granted

The Celtics Are Pushing Robert Williams to Take His Offense to the Next Level

Al Horford Thinks Celtics Need to Improve on Defense for Playoffs

Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens Discuss How the Celtics' Head Coach Has Grown in His First Year at the Helm: 'He's Been a Great Strength for Us'

Jayson Tatum is Ready for the Challenges that Await the Celtics in the Playoffs: 'We've Not Been Waiting for it But Working for it'

Jaylen Brown Shares What Winning the Red Auerbach Award Means to Him: 'I've Put My Everything Into This Team, I've Put My Everything Into This City'

Jaylen Brown on His Relationship with Jayson Tatum: 'We’re a Part of Each Other’s Destiny'

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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