How will star's knee injury affect Celtics' title defense?

Everything looks great for the Boston Celtics on paper. They are the second seed in the Eastern Conference and betting favorite to return to the NBA Finals (h/t ESPN Bet). 

But there is a growing concern the Celtics' campaign to be the first repeat NBA champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2018 could be in jeopardy because of a nagging injury to one of Boston's stars. 

Guard Jaylen Brown, last year's Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP, struggled with a knee injury during the back half of the season. He has missed 12 of Boston's past 29 games and recently had painkilling injections in his right knee, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

In the first round, the Celtics (61-21) will open at home Sunday (April 20) against the seventh-seeded Orlando Magic (41-41).

Brown hasn't had the greatest season of his career, but he is still one of the team's most important players. He averaged 22.2 points this season (his lowest since the 2019-20 season) and shot 46.3% from the floor and 32.4% from three, both career-low figures. Although his accuracy has declined, he averaged a career-high 4.5 assists and displayed improved playmaking abilities for the second-best offense in the league by offensive rating. 

Boston apparently is cautiously optimistic about Brown's status for the playoffs, but Celtics insiders have expressed concern about the All-Star wing.

"Brown’s injury might limit him in the postseason." wrote Celtics insider Jay King for The Athletic. "Though the Celtics have sounded optimistic about his form at practices, he remains their biggest question mark with Game 1 days away."

Brown has reportedly sought out advice from his teammate, Kristaps Porzingis, who has often struggled with knee injuries during his career. 

“We definitely talked about it. Just because of my history with some of the knee stuff that bothered me in the past. So we definitely talked, I gave him my point of view, what I thought could help him and he did the things necessary to be as healthy and as feeling good as possible for this run that we’re about to have, and he looks good. He’s always saying that he feels good, but he actually looks good and that’s the most important." Porzingis told Celtics reporter Bobby Manning of CLNS.

The Celtics are 15-4 without Brown in the lineup this season, but they face a strong defensive team in the Magic, who could stifle Boston's high-volume offense. The C's need Brown's size (6-foot-6) and improved playmaking, especially against potential future playoff opponents such as the third-seeded New York Knicks (51-31) and No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18).

If Brown is OK, the Celtics could run through the East and easily defend their title. If he's not, a title defense could fizzle out in an early playoff exit.