Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown missed the end of the 2020-21 regular season and the playoffs due to a left wrist injury that required surgery. It was painful for Brown to not be out there on the court with his teammates as the Celtics were stomped by the Brooklyn Nets in five games in the first round.
Now, though, Brown is eyeing a return to the court for training camp. The 24-year-old Celtics swingman spoke to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated about his return timeline:
Yeah, that’s the goal. My wrist has been healing. Some days it’s better than others. I got to continue to push and work, but I’m excited to be there for camp. And I’m excited to be there with my teammates, and start to build, and start this journey, man. I missed a lot of time, so I’m looking at the season like I’m ready. I want to play. I’m ready.
We started back so quickly [last season]. I didn’t really have an [offseason]. I was dreading coming into training camp, like, ‘Oh, man.’ I was already hurting. I had a good season, but my body barely kept up. So, this year I think I’ll be a lot better in that category.
This doesn't necessarily mean the Celtics star will be 100% ready to go at the start of training camp, but things are certainly pointing in the right direction. Boston put roughly a three-month timetable on a return to basketball activities after the surgery in mid-May, so even if he's not 100% for some reason, he's very close.
Brown and the Celtics are looking to bounce back from a disappointing season marred by health problems. Brown himself had the best season of his career when healthy, averaging a career-high 24.7 points while adding 6.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.