The Boston Celtics cleared the runway for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown by making blockbuster moves. The Marcus Smart trade and the departure of Grant Williams open the door for Tatum and Brown to take on more of a leadership role this season and command the locker room.
Ultimately, whether or not Tatum and Brown absorb the leadership role and excel is the biggest question for the Celtics this season.
In recent seasons, Celtics fans have been clamoring for the Jays to become more vocal and take control of the team. Fans grew tired of Smart having a big voice in the locker room and how it felt like he was the team’s leader. Even Williams sometimes felt he had a big say in how the team handled adversity. The Cs made the right decision to get rid of Smart and Williams because your best players are supposed to be your leaders.
For the Boston Celtics to win the title and for Tatum and Brown to take the next step, they are going to have to become the leaders of the team. I think both guys are ready for the leadership roles, and their comments to start this season have been phenomenal.
"Any given night, somebody might come off the bench, somebody might not finish. It's on all of us to understand it's for the betterment of the team. We have to buy into that."
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 18, 2023
Jayson Tatum talks C's trying different starting lineups pic.twitter.com/J08qn0yeQQ
Boston Celtics fans should expect greatness from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
Celtics fans should be pleased with Tatum’s growth as he is starting to understand what it takes to be a leader and win a championship. Tatum has been vocal about the need to sacrifice and how the players are buying into what Joe Mazzulla is selling. This is extremely important for the Cs because if Tatum is on board with sacrificing, everyone will be forced to follow suit.
Jayson Tatum: “I give Joe a lot of credit. I see the growth. … He’s helped change the culture a little bit in a lot of ways honestly.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 18, 2023
Said the players are all bought into the changes Mazzulla has implemented.
However: “Practice has been hard as shit,” Tatum said. “I ain’t…
Brown has also shown tremendous strides as a leader, emphasizing the importance of winning. Brown and Tatum’s goals seem to have shifted, and they seem ready to lead a title contender. The Jays will be under enormous pressure this season, with the added weight of needing to lead on their plate.
"The game will tell you who is going to need to sacrifice... all that matters is winning."
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 23, 2023
Jaylen Brown talks about the #Celtics team mentality about making individual sacrifices
Presented by https://t.co/m28oI3E9Mr pic.twitter.com/KMyM4kUtVx
Overall, the answer to the leadership question will decide whether or not the Celtics capture that elusive Banner 18.