Brown gives it a go in Houston
Celts guard nursing ankle sprains
HOUSTON — Jaylen Brown is feeling a significant tug of his body right now — and specifically, the double ankle sprain he is nursing.
The Boston forward wants to be a part of the Celtics’ all-star break stretch run, which is why he declared himself active Tuesday night against the Rockets and possibly the Clippers back home on Thursday night.
The Celtics trainers have the last word in these matters, and appear to be on board with Brown.
“In the sense they think I can make it to the All-Star break — that’s the goal,” he said prior to Tuesday morning’s shootaround at the Toyota Center. “Then I get a period of rest. Re-occurring injuries are the worst, but I think I’ll be fine.”
After spraining his left ankle on Sunday in Oklahoma City, Brown later said, “Don’t know what side to limp on right now.”
By Tuesday morning, he was determined to at least give it a try.
“I feel alright. I’m going to play tonight,” he said, adding of his treatment routine, “Ice, treatment therapy, trying to get my body nice and loose getting ready for tonight.”
And now for a chance to be part of a challenging week.
“Two games going into the break, two big wins would be really nice,” said Brown. “With what I can add to our team, I think I should be out there. I will.”
And then, come Friday morning, put his feet up.
“Yeah, rest, try to take a few deep breaths and get ready for the playoffs, because that’s what’s important,” he said.
Brad Stevens is strictly a listener when the training staff speaks.
“My job is to listen to the medical staff and Jaylen,” said the Celtics coach. “So when they tell me that he is not good to go, then I definitely won’t play him. If they tell me it’s bad for him in the future, we definitely won’t play him. There’s no in-between here. That’ll be Jaylen and our medical staff telling me what’s okay.”
More awards
As a sign of where their youth is headed, the Celtics have started collecting player of the week honors, with Brown getting the honor twice, and Jayson Tatum earning his first award this week.
Tatum averaged 29.8 points per game during the four-game stretch heading into the Rockets game, including 32 points on Sunday against Oklahoma City.
“It’s cool. I’m thankful for it,” said Tatum. “But it doesn’t change anything. It’s cool to be acknowledged. I’ve been playing well and we’ve been winning. Hopefully we can keep it up.
Asked about Brown’s two POW awards this season, Tatum said, “It feels good. We have a lot of guys in here that are talented and work pretty hard. So when a lot of guys get acknowledged for their hard work it’s cool to see that.”
Still at home
As much as he cherishes everything about his Boston experience, a part of Enes Kanter’s heart will always be in Oklahoma City. Judging from the reception he received upon checking in for the first time Sunday, the Thunder’s possessive fan base feels the same way.
Kanter has announced plans to open a charter school — The Enes Kanter School for Exceptional Learning — in OKC, and hopes to open more. He has a similar project underway in Africa.
“Not just the whole organization or the players, but the whole state of Oklahoma gave me a warm welcome,” he said. “So for me, it was very important to give back in that way, and I think we need to work harder for our youth. The best investment for our future is their education. That’s why I was like, you know what, Oklahoma gave me so much and this is the best way to give back to the city I love.
“Of course it’s always emotional, man. Coming here and seeing all the cheers and admiration, it’s amazing,” he said. “Every time I came here man, from the top guy to security, everybody just having so much fun, smiling, saying I gotta work on my balance, handling, and welcome back home. It’s definitely been amazing.”
“It’s amazing man, the fans are just unbelievable. Some of my teammates were just talking about it, this is the closest to what college basketball fans are. It’s always wild, it’s always crazy and that makes it a special city.”