Jaylen Brown Ruled Out for Celtics' Game vs. Jazz with Hamstring Injury

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown will miss Friday's game against the Utah Jazz as part of the management plan for his most recent hamstring injury.

The Celtics got off to a disappointing 4-6 start that saw Marcus Smart publicly voice his displeasure with how their two best players operated in the offense. Boston received another setback when Brown suffered a right hamstring strain.

The 25-year-old made his first All-Star appearance in 2020-21, and he's on pace to add a second. Through 13 games, he's averaging 21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He's also shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Sometimes a fresh voice on the sidelines is all that's required to change the direction of a franchise, but swapping Brad Stevens for Ime Udoka doesn't appear to have addressed the Celtics' biggest issues.

The team is eighth in the Eastern Conference at 12-10.

In Brown and Jayson Tatum, Boston has two players who should, in theory, anchor a title contender. The supporting cast doesn't appear to be good enough, though, and to Smart's point, Brown and Tatum may not be getting the most out of their teammates or fit all that well together.

One thing is clear: Udoka will struggle to work around Brown's absence against Utah.