Is Jaylen Brown playing tonight, October 29, for Celtics vs Cavaliers?

The Boston Celtics welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to the TD Garden tonight, riding a high after their 122-90 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. As they chase a win to overcome their difficult 1-3 start to the season, the home team’s reliance on star Jaylen Brown is clear and despite being included early on the NBA injury report, he will play tonight.

According to the latest NBA injury report, the Celtics have listed Jaylen Brown as available to play for tonight’s matchup against the Cavaliers. The four-time All-Star has played in all four of the Celtics’ games averaging 26 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

Brown has been dealing with a hamstring strain since the season began, but after the Celtics stumbled to an 0-3 start, the Boston star said he wasn’t planning to sit until his team got things back on track. They successfully snapped the skid against the Pelicans, a contest where Brown recorded 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in 21 minutes.

“I had to get on the floor,” Brown told reporters after the game, via CLNS Media. “We had to find a way to get the win, so I was going to play until we figured that part out. From my body standpoint, just managing it. Just trying to stay within myself, not overextend myself too much.”

Addressing the Celtics’ struggles

The Celtics’ unexpectedly rough start this NBA season—dropping their first three games—is largely due to the absence of Jayson Tatum, who is reportedly out for the entire season to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered during last season’s playoffs.

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Amid this challenging situation, Brown acknowledged that finding the right rhythm will take time due to the major turnover in the roster this season. “It’s going to take some time. We lost four All-Stars from last season between Al [Horford], Jrue [Holiday], Kristaps [Porziņģis], and JT [Jayson Tatum] being out,” he noted.

Brown also emphasized the loss of depth, pointing out Luke Kornet’s departure: “And Luke [Kornet]’s an All-Star to me. Luke’s an All-Star in all of our hearts. We didn’t lose one guy, we lost five. Replacing those guys doesn’t happen overnight”.