How Celtics’ Brad Stevens Wants Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown To Grow

In making sweeping changes to their roster, the Boston Celtics presented new challenges to themselves entering the 2023-24 season.

It’s time for new leadership to step up.

There’s no doubt that Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has improved Boston’s roster on paper, but there’s a clear lack of continuity from a team that was one game from the 2023 NBA Finals. The Marcus Smart-Kristaps Porzingis trade ensured the Celtics’ emotional leader would not return for a 10th season.

That’s why Stevens expects others to step up in his place.

“We’ve been chock-full of a lot of quality people for a long time and that gives other people a voice,” Stevens said, per Justin Turpin of WEEI. “… Obviously, we need Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown) to continue to grow in that area.”

Tatum and Brown are Boston’s clear leaders on the court, combining to average 56.7 points, 15.7 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game over the course of last season. There has been some question of whether or not they can lead the Celtics emotionally, however. Tatum isn’t exactly an emotional guy for the most part, mostly leading by example, while Brown has seen his play diminish down the stretch over the last two seasons.

If Boston hopes to finally reach its potential, growth from Tatum and Brown might be pivotal.