Kristaps Porzingis Offers Support as Jaylen Brown Prepares for Playoff Run Despite Knee Injury

Kristaps Porzingis understands the challenges Jaylen Brown is facing as the Boston Celtics gear up for the 2025 NBA playoffs. Brown, who battled a knee injury late in the regular season, missed three of Boston's final seven games in April due to the issue. Despite the injury, Brown played through the discomfort on several occasions, but the Celtics ultimately decided to rest their star player, even though he was just two games shy of All-NBA eligibility.

Porzingis, who has had his own share of knee troubles over the years, supported the decision to give Brown time to rest ahead of the playoffs. "I think we just have to urge him to make sure he does everything he needs to prepare, to get healthy, and to prepare for what's coming," Porzingis said last week. "He's a smart guy. So he will. It just shows his heart and how badly he wants to be out there, even for games that don’t mean much for us right now. But that's who he is, and I appreciate him for that."

Porzingis went on to share more about his conversation with Brown, offering advice from his own experiences with knee injuries. “We definitely talked about it, just because of my history with knee issues,” he said. “I gave him my point of view on what I thought could help him. He did the things necessary to be as healthy and as feeling good as possible for this run that we’re about to have. He looks good. He’s always saying that he feels good, but he actually looks good, and that’s the most important.”

Porzingis wasn’t the only teammate offering support for Brown’s recovery. Jrue Holiday and Al Horford both expressed confidence in Brown’s ability to perform at a high level, with Holiday noting that “nobody is worried about him.” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla echoed that sentiment, saying he’s “100 percent confident” that Brown will be ready for the postseason.

This optimism is sure to reassure Celtics fans as the team prepares for its first-round matchup against the Orlando Magic. While Boston should be able to advance even with a less-than-100-percent Brown, the Celtics will need their star wing at full strength to tackle the more challenging opponents they’ll face on their path to a potential repeat championship.

Game 1 of the Celtics-Magic series at TD Garden is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET, with all eyes on Brown’s readiness as the playoffs get underway.