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Jaylen Brown Generating Positive Buzz After Celtics Summer League Debut

By Brian Robb, CBS Boston

SALT LAKE CITY (CBS) – Jaylen Brown, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, had Celtics fans buzzing after a promising performance in his summer league debut on Monday. That excitement will need to be put on hold for at least a couple of days, however, as the small forward will be sidelined for Tuesday night's matchup due a hyperextended right knee.

The 6-foot-7 forward suffered the injury in the midst of Monday's win against the 76ers in Utah Summer League after a player on the Sixers dove for a ball and collided with Brown's legs. The swingman stayed in the game and finished with 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes, but the Celtics have opted to be cautious with their top pick.

"I don't think it's bad," summer league coach Micah Shrewsberry said. "It's summer league. He doesn't need to [rush] anything like that right now. We got a lot of games still this summer. It's kinda precautionary; just let him rest. Rest, then another day off, then he'll be back for the next one."

Brown isn't the only Celtic that is sidelined for summer league in Utah. Second-year big man Jordan Mickey remains back in Boston for treatment after suffering a right shoulder injury during a practice last week.

"From everything I've been told, the MRI looks good," Brad Stevens said Tuesday. "It doesn't sound like it was a subluxation like we talked about with Kelly [Olynyk]. It sounds like he's going to go through a light workout [Tuesday], probably another workout [Wednesday] and then, if all goes well, he'll be on a plane to Vegas."

The Celtics will have an off day on Wednesday before one final game in Utah on Thursday. From there, the team will head to Las Vegas Summer League, and it is possible Mickey will rejoin the team there.

So while Boston will have to go without reinforcements for the interim, the early reviews on Brown were positive from a performance in which he attempted 17 free throws, but only shot 2-of-7 from the field. The 19-year-old's aggressiveness was on full display with several strong takes to the rim that resulted in trips to the charity stripe.

"He was great," Terry Rozier said. "We need a guy who can play above the rim like that. You can here a lot of oohs and aahs. He impressed me, too. He's a great guy. He don't come in thinking he's better than everybody else. I talk to him all the time. All I tell him is I'll get a hand-off to you and you just go dunk the ball – that's all you have to tell him. He'll go dunk it and tear the rim down."

Jaylen Brown's Summer League Debut by NBA on YouTube

While Brown appears confident in his game, he knows that the adjustment period with the level of physicality will be challenging to deal with at first.

"This is a man's league for sure," Brown said. "So you take some bumps and some bruises and it's rough when your body is getting adjusted at first, but I'll be all right."

Despite those lumps, Shrewsberry is optimistic about the promise the youngster has shown already after just a week of practices and games.

"He puts a lot of pressure not just on the defense, but the refs also to call a foul," he said. "He shot so many free throws, you didn't notice that he didn't make a field goal, because he was getting to the line and scoring points. He's great to have, fun to have, to keep getting him ready for the season."

Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.

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