Boston Celtics Injury Report (Nov. 19): Latest update on Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis's availability
The Boston Celtics (10-2) will face the Memphis Grizzlies (3-9) for the first time this season on Sunday, Nov. 19. Boston is coming into their game in Tennessee off the back of their second in-season tournament win, where they defeated the Toronto Raptors in a physical contest.
At the time of writing, Kristaps Porzingis is expected to play against the Grizzlies. However, Jaylen Brown is listed as questionable on the injury report. The All-Star wing slipped on the Raptors in-season tournament court and looked to have pulled a muscle.
“I slipped,” Brown said after the game. “That’s it. I slipped. I think I might have strained my groin a little bit. We’ll see how it feels, but the court was just slippery all game...I thought the floor was unacceptable. I think guys were slipping all over the place. Not just me.”
Brown has enjoyed a strong start to the Celtics season. The Georgia native is averaging 22.9 points, 5 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 47.2% shooting and 37.8% from 3-point range. Boston has removed some of Brown's playmaking duties and is featuring him as a scorer, running plays to get him to his spots on the floor.
If Brown is ruled out of the contest against the Grizzlies, then either Al Horford or Sam Hauser will be tasked with stepping into the Celtics starting five. Meanwhile, Lamar Stevens or Svi Mykhailiuk will assume a bigger role off the bench.
Joe Mazzulla is experimenting with his rotations for the Boston Celtics
Against the Toronto Raptors, Joe Mazzulla used a strict eight-man rotation, which is something we usually see during the playoffs. Boston's roster is deep 1-through-8, but then the talent level begins to dip. The back end of the rotation is filled with specialists rather than multi-faceted players.
Lamar Stevens, Oshae Brissett, Svi Mykhailiuk, Jordan Walsh, and Luke Kornet all bring a specific skill set to the rotation. Outside of Mykhailiuk, none of them are viewed as a potential scoring threat, which is why they're seeing inconsistent minutes on the floor.
We're only 12 games into the new season. Mazzulla is likely still figuring out the combinations that can be trusted to produce an impact on the court. There's no point in having multiple defensive specialists share the floor if they cannot put points on the floor during offensive possessions.
Still, the Celtics have enough depth to be considered a genuine championship contender this season, and the Memphis Grizzlies will be the latest team to find out why the franchise has started the season in such a dominant fashion.