The Athletic released a story on June 1 that had quite the Boston Celtics behind-the-scenes postseason nugget. Jared Weiss and Jay King reported that Cs Owner, Wyc Grousbeck, stepped in after the teams’ embarrassing defeat in Game 3 against the Miami Heat. Grousbeck chewed out the team and called them out for being the gutless losers that they are.
The situation ultimately highlights the Boston Celtics’ lack of leadership.
After the Celtics fell into an 0-3 hole against Miami, Wyc Grousbeck stormed into the locker room & issued a challenge.
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) June 1, 2023
He told them to play with some balls, sources told @TheAthleticNBA
Behind the scenes of Boston’s roller coaster season w/ @ByJayKing https://t.co/4VNE0crcyq pic.twitter.com/f2WQGC9RxI
A lack of leadership has been a concern for the Boston Celtics in recent seasons, but especially this year after the loss of Ime Udoka.
The Cs have a problem: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are poor leaders, and they have not matured enough to take on those roles. The problem with this is that Marcus Smart and Al Horford then step in, or even Grant Williams, and that is not the right mix for an NBA locker room.
The best players are supposed to be the leaders and alphas, not the role players.
Combine that issue with the fact that Joe Mazzulla is not a leader, and you see the reason why Wyc Grousbeck was forced to step in. Grousbeck felt that the C’s were teetering and that they needed a spark. It is ultimately pathetic that it took a step in from ownership to get the series against the Heat back on track. The players were ultimately stunned by Grousbeck’s comments, but it should have never gotten to that point.
After a 128-102 Game 3 loss to the Heat, Celtics' managing partner Wyc Grousbeck went off on the team.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 1, 2023
His message that players need to "play with some balls” left the locker room stunned, several team sources told The Athletic.
More: https://t.co/zn1I6ElkvO pic.twitter.com/SWDIVGrWI2
The Boston Celtics’ stars must take more of a leadership role
Boston’s players, and most importantly, the Jays, need to use this as a lesson moving forward. The Jays need to take on more of a leadership role next season, and they have to command the locker room. The Celtic are never going to win a championship if the Jays don’t become leaders.
Ultimately, I would not be surprised if more reporting comes out regarding the problems in the Boston Celtics locker room.