Jaylen Brown Committed To ‘Stepping’ Into Celtics Leadership Role

The Boston Celtics traded away not only a handful of fan favorites, but also a big chunk of their leadership, during the offseason in order to repolish the now-star-studded roster.

That opens the door for many of Boston’s experienced veterans, including two-time All-Star Jaylen Brown who signed an NBA-record $303 million contract extension with the Celtics in the offseason.

Brown, 26, sees just one solution in maintaining Boston’s leadership, despite its offseason departures, moving forward.

“Just stepping into it,” Brown said, according to Kyle Hightower of the Washington Post. “I think we’ve got a lot of voices that are no longer with us — Blake (Griffin), Grant (Williams), Marcus (Smart). All very vocal guys. So, I think, definitely, hearing my voice, (Jayson Tatum’s) voice a little bit more this season.”

The value of a vocal leader willing to speak up when needed the most, can’t be undervalued. In 2008, the last time the Celtics won an NBA Finals, Boston had both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce — fearless leaders with a carefree attitude when it came to speaking up when necessary.

That’s essential.

Both Brown and Tatum already have the “lead by example” part of their respective games down pact. As the No. 1 and No. 2 options of the team, the respect is inherently there, but the vocal aspect is also critical, as is the case for any championship-caliber team.

Last season Brown averaged a career-high 26.6 points on 49.1% shooting from the field, earning All-NBA Second Team honors which made him eligible for the supermax that Boston granted in the offseason.

Needless to say, this upcoming season could be Brown’s biggest challenge.