Taylor Talks Celtics: Will Jaylen Brown's Injury Derail Championship Hopes?

The inaugural episode of Taylor Talks Celtics is officially in the books, and there's a bunch to unpack as we head into the postseason. Billy Calabrese joined me to break down everything from JD Davison's new deal to Boston's potential first-round matchup.

The Celtics just signed the Davison, the 2025 G League MVP, to a two-year deal (really more like 14 months, but it is what it is). After spending three seasons down in Maine on a two-way contract, Davison has earned this opportunity. My biggest takeaway from his minutes against the Hornets was that he needs to be more willing to let that three-ball fly. There was a play early where he passed up an open three to drive for a mid-range floater – I can just imagine Joe Mazzulla going crazy about that in the locker room.

Billy and I had an interesting debate about player comparisons for Davison. I've always gone with "Wish-version Russell Westbrook" because of his athleticism, ability to create chaos in the open court, and that grab-the-rebound-and-go mentality. Billy leaned more toward a Jalen Brunson comp, but we settled on Steve Francis as a middle ground. Either way, Davison has a long way to go to reach that level, and we're unlikely to see him during the playoffs – unless something goes very right (garbage time) or very wrong (injuries).

Speaking of the playoffs, we dove into the potential first-round matchup with the Orlando Magic or Atlanta Hawks. Here's where Billy and I disagreed – I'm more worried about the Magic, despite their shooting limitations. There's something about Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that concerns me more than what the Hawks bring. Orlando has the size and physicality to match up with the Celtics positionally.

Billy's take? He fears Atlanta more, primarily because of the Jaylen Brown factor. With Brown nursing a bone bruise in his knee, facing Dyson Daniels and the Hawks in his hometown (where he tends to go hero mode) could be problematic. It's a fair point – Trae Young is the best player on either of Atlanta or Orlando, and he's capable of stealing a game or two in a series.

This led us to the biggest question hanging over the Celtics right now: Brown's health. I'm not expecting All-Star Jaylen during this postseason run. The lateral quickness and burst just aren't there right now, which affects him defensively and as a creator and/or self-creator off the dribble. But there are ways he can still be effective – working more off-ball, coming off screens into space in the mid-range, utilizing that Paul Pierce/DeMar DeRozan-style game.

The reality is that Boston could now be a Tatum and Porzingis-led team for the playoffs. That's not a knock on Jaylen – it's just the potential downside of his physical limitations right now. His role will need to change, with more focus on mid-range work and being a zone-buster rather than one of the play initators.

Does this lower Boston's championship ceiling? Only time will tell. When one of your top guys isn't at 100%, everything gets a little bit worse – this much is true. But I'm not overly concerned about the Celtics' chances – this team won 60+ games despite multiple injuries throughout the season. They're still the team to beat.

Make sure to check out the full episode, where we also discuss Jrue Holiday's potential playoff impact, what makes this Celtics team special, and why their scalability makes them so dangerous.

Remember to subscribe to Taylor Talks Celtics wherever you get your podcasts.

Go C's!