Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Day-to-Day With Hamstring Injury

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown took part in “everything but the live portion” of Friday’s practice after exiting the preseason finale with

left hamstring tightness, head coach Joe Mazzulla told The Athletic. Mazzulla described Brown as day-to-day with Opening Night looming next Wednesday vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Brown grabbed at the back of his left leg and left Wednesday’s

110–108 win over the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter. He did not return, and the team initially listed him as doubtful due to hamstring tightness. Local outlets indicated after the game that the injury was not believed to be serious.

What It Means for Boston

The All-NBA wing’s updated status is a

positive indicator that Boston avoided a major setback. Brown’s full participation in non-contact work suggests the hamstring handled controlled movement 48 hours after the scare, but the day-to-day label keeps his opener availability genuinely to be decided pending how he responds to ramp-up and any live work the staff allows before Wednesday. 

The four-time All-Star enters 2025-26 off two strong seasons as a developing scorer-creator. Last year he averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and a career-best 4.5 assists in 34.3 minutes across 63 games, while shooting 46.3% from the field and 32.4% from three. He posted 22.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 11 playoff games. In 2023-24, Brown put up 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 70 games as Boston won the title, marking back-to-back 23-ish PPG seasons with incremental playmaking growth. He’s a four-time All-Star and a 2022-23 All-NBA selection, the latter helping trigger his supermax extension that summer.

From a profile standpoint, Brown’s value comes from downhill rim pressure, mid-post scoring and transition finishing, with enough catch-and-shoot volume to space next to another star. If he’s limited early, Boston typically redistributes on-ball reps to Derrick White and Payton Pritchard while keeping Brown in second-side actions when active. The day-to-day hamstring tag doesn’t change his usage outlook when he’s cleared; it just puts the emphasis on short-term management of minutes and back-to-backs.

Context matters for the 2025-26 Celtics: Jayson Tatum is rehabbing a torn Achilles suffered in May and is not expected to start the season, though recent updates show him progressing on-court. With Tatum sidelined, Brown projects as Boston’s primary option to start the year, making his short-term health pivotal. 

Boston’s summer also brought sweeping roster changes: Jrue Holiday was traded to the Trail Blazers, Kristaps Porzingis moved to the Hawks in a three-team deal, and veterans Al Horford (Warriors) and Luke Kornet (Spurs) departed in free agency. That turnover places added weight on Brown, White, and Pritchard as the offense recalibrates around new pieces. 

What’s Next

Boston opens the regular season

Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET against Philadelphia at TD Garden. Game listings currently show Brown as a game-time decision. Expect the Celtics to monitor his response to incremental activity through shootaround; any decision to play could come down to pregame testing. If Brown sits, look for elevated usage across White/Pritchard and added minutes for the wing/forward group to cover Brown’s on-ball and scoring load.

Mavericks fan-favorite's hyped Dallas return was doomed from the start

When the Dallas Mavericks signed former fan-favorite guard Dennis Smith Jr., every fan knew it would be an uphill battle for him to fight for one of Dallas' roster spots. Not only did the Mavericks have every spot filled on their 15-man roster, but Brandon Williams would have been the only realistic candidate to be on the chopping block, and due to the Mavericks' need for shooters, Williams was never truly going to be waived.

For Smith Jr., this was his first shot at competing for a roster spot in the NBA in over an entire season after his last stint with the Brooklyn Nets. One of the reasons Smith Jr. slowly fizzled out of the league was due to his lack of shooting and inability to expand his offensive bag beyond his impressive slashing capabilities.

There's no doubt that from the jump, it was clear that Smith Jr. was going to be waived before the season began, but the Mavericks just ensured every fan's worst thoughts after cutting him only a few days before the regular season could tip off. As unfortunate as it may seem, the Mavericks simply weren't the team for Smith Jr. to truly compete for a roster spot.

Smith Jr's. time in Dallas was doomed before it even began

Before the offseason even began, one of the Mavericks' biggest needs was their lack of point-of-attack defense at the guard position. While Cooper Flagg will likely be one of the Mavericks' main defenders around the perimeter, the Mavericks still desperately need defensive depth at the point of attack, which was one of the reasons Smith Jr.'s signing made so much sense at the time.

For Smith Jr., it may have been an outside shot at making the Mavericks' active roster, but due to their defensive needs, Smith Jr.'s presence would have been more than enough to ensure the Mavericks would have had one of the league's best point of attack defenders sitting on their bench. To make matters even better for Smith Jr., Dante Exum has been dealing with numerous injuries, which made it possible for the Mavericks to move on from him.

Despite the concern from Exum's health and availability and Williams' non-guaranteed contract, the Mavericks opted to move on from Smith Jr. in a move that wouldn't surprise any fan on Friday morning. For Smith Jr., he still has a shot at playing for the Texas Legends, where he could potentially show out and expand his offensive game in the G-League for the opportunity at being signed by another team in the future.

It would have been one of the best feel-good stories for the Mavericks and their fans after a full season of despair and sadness had Smith Jr. made the team's active roster, but the reality is that Smith Jr.'s time with the Mavericks was always going to be short.

Since re-signing with the Mavericks, Smith Jr. would only suit up for two preseason games, where he would only make late-game appearances and have minimal production in those two appearances. Smith Jr.'s defense would have, without a doubt, made a major impact for the Mavericks this coming season, but due to his lack of ability to develop a three-point shot, his chances of cracking Dallas' starting roster were little to none.

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