Celtics' Jaylen Brown gets shaky injury update for season opener vs. 76ers

The Boston Celtics know they'll be without Jayson Tatum for most, if not all, of the new NBA season as he recovers from a torn Achilles.

But they can't afford to be missing other stars with injuries, too.

Unfortunately, the injury report for Wednesday's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers has another big name on there.

Jaylen Brown is officially listed as questionable with a left hamstring strain.

That's not what anyone wants to see before the season even starts.

Hamstrings are tricky, too. The Celtics know they're going to have to lean heavily on Brown this season. They'll have to be careful not to push him through pain too early and make it worse.

MORE: Jonathan Kuminga's Warriors contract was actually the easy part

If Brown sits, the Celtics would run even more of their offense through Derrick White, with the likes of Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser getting a lot of shots.

Ideally, Brown plays and can help the Celtics to a 1-0 start.

The 76ers aren't at full strength, either.

They do have Joel Embiid healthy and not on the injury report, a change from what is often the case.

But Philadelphia will be without both Paul George and Jared McCain as they continue to heal up.

It'll be a bit shorthanded all around in what is a classic clash between the Celtics and 76ers. It could mean the key to the game is an unsung hero no one is even thinking about right now.

More NBA News:

• Nikola Topic's testicular injury for OKC Thunder won't sideline him as long as you'd think
• Steph Curry has the point guard GOAT conversation underway
• 83 NBA players have been born since LeBron James made his debut
• Mavs provided 26 hints to Cooper Flagg's rookie season usage plans
• Rockets starting lineup has one rival as tallest in NBA history
• The 1 thing that could lead to a Giannis trade from the Bucks