MINNEAPOLIS -- The Boston Celtics have placed Jaylen Brown in the NBA’s concussion protocol program following a hard fall in the third quarter of Boston’s 117-109 win at Minnesota last night.
He becomes the second Celtics player this season (Al Horford was the other) to be entered into the program.
Kyrie Irving was being monitored for concussion-like symptoms after suffering a facial fracture earlier this year, but did not exhibit the symptoms that collectively lead to a player being admitted into the concussion protocol program.
With about a minute to play in the third quarter, Brown had a dunk but lost control of his grip on the rim and landed on his back. He was on the floor for a few seconds, showing minimal movement.
Eventually he rose to his feet and walked off towards the locker room, where he was evaluated by the medical staff.
It was unclear if Brown would have to stay overnight in Minneapolis for additional tests at the time, but NBC Sports Boston reported that he was with the team on their bus headed to the airport for a departure after last night’s game. The Celtics confirmed afterwards that Brown was with the team as it returned to Boston.
After the game I asked Horford what is it like for a player that first time going through the league’s concussion protocol program.
“The next two days will determine where he’s at,” said Horford, who has been in the concussion protocol program in each of his two seasons in Boston. “Dealing with that in the past, at least for me I felt normal for a certain period of time. And then, the symptoms start to come around.”
That’s apparently what has happened to Brown, a key member of this Celtics team that’s positioning itself for one of the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference playoffs, which will begin in about a month.
The Celts have always attempted to be as healthy as possible for the postseason, which is why they may error on the side of caution in how they deal with Brown.