What Jaylen Brown Told Kristaps Porzingis After Big Man’s Injury

The Celtics did their best to put Kristaps Porzingis at ease after the star big man went down Monday night in Miami.

Porzingis might have experienced a sense of guilt after he sustained a lower-leg injury in Game 4 against the Heat. After all, a blockbuster offseason trade positioned Porzingis as a key missing piece for the NBA Finals-hopeful Celtics, and two days before the injury, Jayson Tatum hailed his teammate as the “most important” player on the club as it relates to its championship aspirations.

Fortunately for Boston, it’s so well built that it won’t crater with Porzingis out of the lineup. Jaylen Brown stressed that notion to the ninth-year pro while preaching patience for his recovery.

“He’s smiling, but you can tell it hurts him that he’s not being with his team,” Brown told reporters Wednesday, per The Boston Globe. “But I just told him that we’re going to hold it down. Just get your recovery in, get back healthy and we’re not going to miss a beat when you come back. So we’ll be ready.”

The Celtics managed to dispatch the Heat on Wednesday in their first 2024 playoff game without Porzingis. While Boston might be afforded some extra rest before its next series begins, the team reportedly is targeting the Eastern Conference finals as a return spot for the 28-year-old.

So, the C’s likely won’t have one of their most uniquely talented players when they go up against the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Orlando Magic. But that shouldn’t prevent the East’s top team from competing for the conference crown.