Kyle Trimble is a licensed physical therapist here to provide NBA injury analysis on Jaylen Brown’s left scapholunate ligament tear in “Jaylen Brown Out For Season: Fantasy Basketball & NBA Betting Tips For His Injury."
Celtics SG Jaylen Brown will miss the remainder of the regular season and postseason with a left scapholunate ligament tear in his wrist. He is scheduled to have surgery this week and the Celtics have not announced a timeline. Considering the career year Brown was having, averaging 24.7 points per game, this is a huge loss for Boston as they attempt to return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the 4th time in 5 seasons.
Jaylen Brown Injury Update: Fantasy Basketball & NBA Betting Tips
Jaylen Brown Injury: Left Scapholunate Ligament Tear
Example of wrist anatomy with a scapholunate tear. Credit: Infomediatrialsolutions.com
The scapholunate ligament is one of the main stabilizers in the wrist that stabilizes the scaphoid bone. The scaphoid bone articulates with the radius and lunate that allows stability for nearly all wrist movements. While it was not specified how he injured the wrist, he likely suffered a FOOSH or fall on an outstretched hand injury, tearing the ligament in the process. He likely had difficulty with pain, loss of grip strength, and difficulty pushing through the wrist, similar to a push-up position. This would make dribbling, rebounding, blocking, and shooting difficult, forcing Brown to severely alter his game, leaving him a liability.
According to research, 80% of athletes who do require this procedure return to play within 4 months. Two-thirds of that group returned to pre-injury levels of competition. This is also in line with what rehab protocols suggest for normal activities but around 4 months is when work conditioning or return to sport activities can be progressed. Having the surgery in May, that timeline would put him to September.
Jaylen Brown NBA Betting & Fantasy Basketball Outlook
However, I do not expect Brown to return that early. I would anticipate that he returns closer to late October or November due to getting back into shape and performing basketball-specific activities. What does help Brown is that this is not his shooting hand which may allow him to return closer to opening night.
Looking at fantasy, fellow teammate Romeo Langford was set to return in 5.5 months after having the same procedure last September on his right wrist. Following surgery, his statistics did not appear to suffer, which could be a good sign for Brown. Keep or trade for Brown in fantasy next year but he may start slow.
The loss of Brown in the midst of a career year really hurts the Celtics down the stretch. While they are in the play-in tournament, they likely won’t make it past the first round having to play either Philadelphia or Brooklyn. Upsets do happen, but not in this instance. Put the easy money on the Nets (-105) or Sixers (+300) to win the series if they play the Celtics and ride that confidence betting them for the conference according to BetMGM.
Kyle Trimble is a licensed physical therapist who also works as an injury spotter for Dr. David Chao. Kyle has extensive experience in outpatient orthopedics, skilled nursing, acute care hospital, and home care. He’s also a member of Bills Mafia and runs the website Banged Up Bills.
Disclaimer from Kyle: My opinions are my own. Any thoughts I have on the injuries are based on media reports, my knowledge of the injury, and speculation based on the information currently available including video and print media. This information is subject to change based on the information released by the team.
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