Jaylen Brown got hurt at the end of the Boston Celtics’ game against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. On one of the Celtics’ final inbounds plays, he fell, potentially injuring his groin in the process.
“I slipped,” Brown said. “That’s it. I slipped. I think I might have strained my groin a little bit. We’ll see how it feels, but the court was just slippery all game.”
The new In-Season Tournament courts were a controversial decision among fans because of the bright colors and the decision to stray away from tradition. But players are upset for another reason.
“I think, as players, we’re all here for the In-Season Tournament because it’s going to generate revenue, excitement, competition, but we’ve got to make sure the floor is safe to play on,” said Brown, a Vice President of the NBPA.
Brown slipped during a crucial possession that left Scottie Barnes open for a game-tying three. He missed it, but then, Brown slipped again on an ensuing possession–the incident during which he strained his groin.
Boston earned the win, but Brown was not shy about voicing his displeasure after the fact.
“We can’t put our players out there and risk their health,” said Brown. “Tonight, I thought the floor was unacceptable. I think guys were slipping all over the place. Not just me.”
The Celtics’ All-Star wasn’t the only player to slip on the court throughout the course of the game. Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa backed Brown’s sentiments.
“It was slippery,” Achiuwa said of Brown’s comments. “I fell myself a few times. A couple of times, I ended up on the floor. I slipped a few times.”
In fact, there have been a multitude of problems around the league in regard to the new In-Season Tournament courts.
Prior to the Dallas Mavericks’ tournament game against the Denver Nuggets, former Celtic Grant Williams was warming up and noticed something was off. All of his shots were falling short. It was discovered that the three-point line on Denver’s court had been painted in the wrong spot. The court had to get redone before the game.
Dallas also had some trouble with the New Orleans Pelicans’ court. Luka Doncic gave a similar review to Brown’s.
“I mean, outside of all of the courts, I think the court today was really bad,” Doncic said. “It was really slippery, and in some places, the ball didn’t really bounce. If we’re going to have these courts, we need to make sure that it’s a stable court.”
The bright colors of the court may not be for everybody. The lack of traditional hardwood may get on people’s nerves. But the courts stand out, and that’s the point.
However, if the NBA fails to fix the clear safety issues popping up around the league, persisting with the current In-Season Tournament courts would go a step further than controversial–it would be irresponsible and dangerous.
