With the start of the season just over 48 hours away, the Celtics could start the regular season without two key cogs in the lineup. Jaylen Brown and Al Horford are still in the league’s COVID health and safety protocols after testing positive earlier in training camp.
Nothing new. Those guys are doing well, but we’re just waiting to hear back on the testing results. We’ll find out obviously in the next few days. They’re doing well as of now and we hope to have them back,” head coach Ime Udoka said after Monday’s practice.
Brown’s positive test was announced by the team on Friday, October 8th, but it’s unclear when it was taken. Horford’s was announced four days later. It’s unclear if either have been vaccinated or if their infections were breakthrough cases like Ime Udoka before Media Day. For the sake of comparison, former Celtic Gordon Hayward entered quarantine on or around October 6th and returned to practice on October 15th.
There’s a chance that Brown could play Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden for the season opener against the New York Knicks. ““It’s a discussion we’re gonna have. We like to get somebody reps instead of throwing them into a game, being out all that time. Something we traditionally do not do,” Udoka said.
