Understanding Jaylen Brown’s Knee Debridement

• Post By: Jeff Stotts
• Date: June 11, 2025
• Category: NBA, Understanding...

The trajectory of the current Boston Celtics changed May 12 when Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles in a Game 4 loss to the Knicks. Less than a month later, Tatum is seemingly progressing smoothly through rehab, providing encouraging updates via social media. However, it appears Tatum will not be alone in the athletic training room after the Celtics announced Jaylen Brown underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday on his injured right knee.

Days after the Celtics season ended, it was revealed Brown had been playing on a partial tear in his meniscus, a valuable shock absorbers of the knee. Each knee has two fibrocartilage menisci located between the femur and the bones of the lower leg. Their design allows the discs to withstand heavy loads while maintaining a degree of elasticity, but their positioning levels them vulnerable to injury. Meniscus injuries are relatively common in basketball and have been discussed multiple times on InStreetClothes.com following the injuries of Derrick Rose and Zion Williamson. However, the recovery and treatment options for a player to sustain a meniscus tear does carry a degree of variability due to variance in the pattern and site of the possible damage.

Meniscus injuries are a lot like real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. The amount of blood available to certain regions of the meniscus varies with the inner portions of the discs being less vascularized. If a meniscus tear is small and located on the outside portion of the disc (the red zone), a quick recovery is possible and surgery may not be necessary, especially if the affected individual is asymptomatic. Unfortunately, more often than not, meniscus injuries result in surgery.

Surgeons have two basic approaches during surgery for a meniscus injury. The appropriate route, meaning a repair versus a removal, is often dictated by the location and pattern of the tear. For example, a tear that runs the length of the disc and sits on the outside of the disc and can be repaired. In a true meniscus repair, the disc is sutured and fixated. Following surgery, the athlete is often required to use crutches for multiple weeks to avoid weight-bearing. As a result, the recovery for a repair is substantially longer.

A meniscectomy, or removal, is the more common approach and carries a shorter recovery window. Following this technique, the injured athlete can often return to activity in a matter of weeks, not months. However, there is a trade off. Because a portion of the meniscus has even removed, the injured individual is an increased risk for some long-term problems like osteoarthritis.

So although arthroscopic meniscus repairs have a better long-term outcome, they are not always possible. Based on the Celtics describing the surgery as a debridement, it appears Brown underwent a partial meniscectomy. The noted expectations that Brown will be available for training camp of the 2025-2026 season only further strengthens this belief. Tatum’s ongoing recovery could influence how aggressive Boston is with Brown’s care though it still seems likely he is ready for the start of what will likely be a new chapter in the franchise.