Media Day looked a bit different for the Boston Celtics this year. Last year, the Celtics had to answer questions about a devastating loss to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. This year, they had to answer questions about defending their title. Last year, Celtics fans were reconciling Kristaps Porzingis wearing a Celtics uniform instead of Marcus Smart. This year, the Celtics bring back their entire championship core. Last year, there were questions about who would fill the emotional leadership role that Marcus Smart left behind. This year Celtics know who their emotional leader is: Jaylen Brown.
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
From the moment Jaylen Brown signed his supermax extension last offseason, he has been direct and purposeful about filling the void left behind after the Marcus Smart trade. When Jaylen was asked about last year’s offseason moves, his answer was pointed; his focus was on the defensive end of the court.
“I think what Kristaps can bring to us defensively and the additions some of our other guys can bring to us defensively, I want to make sure that’s where we hang our hats this year. And that starts with me, that starts with Jayson…with Marcus gone, we don’t want our defensive identity to go out the door as well, so we have to really emphasize that at the start of training camp.”
It’s easy to talk about raising your defensive intensity in the offseason. Jaylen followed up theoe comments with the best defensive season of his career. It’s one thing to lead by example, and it’s another to empower your teammates and instill them with confidence. Whether it’s his long-time partner in crime Jayson Tatum or, at the time, new addition in Xavier Tillman, Jaylen has done his best to share his confidence with his teammates. After a down Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jaylen was caught on an mic’d up segment hyping up his superstar teammate:
Jayson Tatum would go on to have a huge bounce-back performance to the tune of 33 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.
One of the big moments of the Finals was the three-pointer that Xavier Tillman hit in Game 3. I have long been a sceptic of Tillman’s three-point shooting ability. Not Jaylen Brown. In the days leading up to Game 3, Jaylen had taken note of the work Tillman was putting into his three-point shooting in his post-practice workouts, and came to Tillman with a message:
“Hey, you’re gonna get your opportunity, I feel it. I’m gonna swing it to you. Let it fly. Bro, let it fly. I see you put in the work. I trust you.”
At Media Day when Eddie House asked Jaylen about that pass to Tillman for the three-pointer, Jaylen smiled as he remembered — he knew what was coming when he made that kick out pass to Tillman.
“I knew it was good before he even (shot). If you see my body language when I passed it to him, I kinda start almost running back.”
During Jaylen’s media sessions, his unwavering emphasis on the team echoed loud and clear.
When asked about the selflessness that Jayson and Jaylen played with last season, Brown said, “that’s a part of our style. It’s a part of the culture that we built. Playing the game the right way. Using every aspect of our team, to help uplift the whole group”.
When asked what the key would be to sustain their success without Kristaps Porzingis early in the season, he said, “I’m looking for guys to take steps forward. You know, guys that have been here, been part of the system, try to push them to be better versions of themselves. That’s exciting. And as a leader. Try to bring that out of everybody. Just make sure all the pieces of the ship are just moving smoothly.”
When questioned about his outlook for the upcoming season, Jaylen once more credited his teammates for his confidence. “I’m excited. We got a great group of guys, a great team chemistry, a great locker room, we just gotta take it one day at a time and see where we go from there. But it’s been an honor being around some of these guys for X amount of years. So I’m looking forward to this journey because of the guys I get to share the locker room with.”
After hearing Jaylen’s comments from Media Day, it’s hard not to feel ready to run through a wall for him. Jaylen has always been motivated to excel individually, and his continuous improvement has seen him surpass even the loftiest expectations. However, what’s inspiring about his mindset for the upcoming season is his ability to draw motivation from the success of his teammates.
It’s not surprising that as Jaylen moves through the prime of his career, he is more willing and able to take on the responsibility of leading the team. It’s been five years since there was a repeat NBA champion; repeating is hard. Yet, with Jaylen Brown taking on the role of emotional and spiritual leader, Celtics fans should feel extremely confident about their chances to be the first repeat champion in half a decade.
