Jaylen Brown (concussion protocol) is out indefinitely

Jaylen Brown may have avoided serious injury on Thursday night after a scary fall in the wake of a dunk at the Target Center, but the Celtics announced Friday that the 21-year-old will be sidelined indefinitely after entering the league's concussion protocol.

Brown underwent a CT scan at an area hospital in Minnesota on Thursday night after landing on his upper back and neck on the play. He remained down on the floor for several minutes before walking to the locker room under his own power. He was ultimately cleared to fly back to Boston with his teammates after the game.

In order to return to the floor, Brown will have to pass through a variety of checkpoints in the league's concussion protocol. They include demonstrating a lack of concussion symptoms and passing the league's return to participation protocol. Said protocol involves several steps of increasing exertion, from a stationary bike, to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact team drills. A player must pass all of these elements without setbacks before moving on to the next step of the protocol.

Once those steps are completed, Brown will have to be cleared by the team's physician.

BSJ Analysis: The Celtics face off with the Pacers on Sunday night and the Wizards on Wednesday night, two contests that Brown is highly likely to miss as he continues his recovery. While Brad Stevens may not want to mess with the bench chemistry yet again with a starter sidelined, he'll have to give Marcus Smart or Terry Rozier the call to replace Brown in the lineup against a fast-paced Pacers lineup on Sunday night. With Victor Oladipo looming as a tough cover, the guess here is that Smart gets the nod, while Shane Larkin sees some time at point guard with the second unit.