The Boston Celtics disposed of the Orlando Magic in five games to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they will face off against the New York Knicks.
With Game 1 scheduled to take place at TD Garden on Monday night, one of the questions on the minds of Celtics fans is just how healthy All-Star wing Jaylen Brown is coming out of the series against Orlando.
Brown met with the media in Boston on Saturday afternoon and provided an update on his health that Celtics fans have been waiting to hear. In his own words, the former lottery pick made it known that he feels as healthy as he has in a while and is trending toward being fully healthy entering the team's best-of-seven series with the Knicks.
Jaylen Brown with a positive injury update, says he thinks he’s trending toward 100%:
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) May 3, 2025
“I think I’m starting to turn the curve. Structurally, everything is fine. I’ve had some other stuff going on, but I think I’m trending in the right direction.”
(Q: @RealBobManning) pic.twitter.com/DCFDckmVsd
"I'm taking it one day at a time. I think I’m starting to turn the curve. Structurally, everything is fine," Brown said. "I’ve had some other stuff going on, but I think I’m trending in the right direction."
If his play against the Magic served as any indicator, Brown's diagnosis of things trending in the right direction appears to be spot on and should only bring a smile to the faces of Celtics fans.
In five games versus Orlando, Brown was one of Boston's best performers, averaging 23.0 points to go along with 7.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 35.8 minutes per game. His shooting percentages were rather impressive, too, as Brown converted on 49.4% of his attempts from the field, 44.4% of his shots from beyond the arc, and 84.4% of his trips to the charity stripe.
While those numbers were undoubtedly impressive, Brown and the rest of Boston's roster will be facing a new group in the semifinals that bring a different set of challenges to the table. Brown knows this firsthand as he had his struggles against New York's defensive attack throughout the regular season. In four games against the Knicks, Brown averaged just 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 30 minutes per contest.
Having Brown competing at as close to 100% healthy as anyone can possibly be once the postseason begins is a positive development for the Celtics. Now, the All-Star will just have to figure out a way to up his level of production against the Knicks from what we saw during their regular season matchups.
Monday's Game 1 at TD Garden should help provide Boston fans with an answer to whether or not Brown has figured out New York's defensive schemes against him. If Joe Mazzulla has, Celtics fans should have plenty to celebrate throughout this series.