Jaylen Brown’s absence forces Boston to win a new way against Sacramento.
Friday night at TD Garden won’t look anything like the last time the Celtics saw the Kings - and that’s exactly what makes this matchup interesting.
Boston handled its business in Sacramento earlier this season, pulling away late in a 120-106 win that felt closer than it needed to be until the fourth quarter. That night was about patience, depth, and Jaylen Brown carrying control when the game called for it. This time, Brown won’t be there to do that.
The Celtics ruled Brown out Friday with left hamstring soreness and a right knee contusion, a decision that speaks less to urgency and more to long-term perspective. Brown has been carrying a heavy load, both statistically and emotionally, and the wear finally showed in Wednesday’s loss to Atlanta - a game he openly admitted he didn’t meet his own standard.
Boston is choosing caution, not panic, and that choice reshapes how this game has to be approached.
Against Sacramento, that matters.
The Kings are still a flawed team, but they aren’t the passive group Boston closed out on the West Coast. DeMar DeRozan can still dictate stretches of a game, Domantas Sabonis forces physicality inside, and their offense is good enough to punish complacency. The Celtics learned that earlier this season, when Sacramento hung around far longer than expected before Boston’s depth finally tilted the floor.
Depth will again be the theme - just with a different edge.
Without Brown, Boston leans harder into balance. Derrick White’s playmaking becomes even more central. Jayson Tatum remains sidelined, so shot creation has to come collectively rather than through isolation dominance. That puts pressure on spacing, pace, and decision-making - areas where Boston has generally thrived, but also where lapses have crept in during recent losses.
Jan 1, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) gets fouled by Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. (Dennis Lee/Imagn Images)There is some good news. Neemias Queta returns after missing the Hawks game with illness, stabilizing a frontcourt rotation that’s been stretched thin. His availability matters against a Kings team that lives on second chances and interior pressure. Boston doesn’t need dominance there - it needs reliability.
This game also serves as a quiet measuring stick for the Celtics’ maturity. Earlier in the season, they proved they could “wait” against inferior teams and close when the moment arrived. Now, without one of their emotional engines, the test becomes whether they can impose control earlier - and sustain it - without needing a late surge to bail them out.
The schedule says this is a game Boston should win. The context says it’s a game that reveals something deeper.
No Jaylen Brown. No margin for drifting. Just a chance to show that the identity they’ve built isn’t dependent on any one player - even one as important as him.
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.