Brad Stevens believes Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown are on the right path as leaders
"I’ve tried to be very empathetic towards that because I think that as much as we ask of them, that’s just another responsibility."
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have both played like the star players the Celtics have hoped for this season.
However, the continued growth of both players has been overshadowed by the team’s struggles this season as the Celtics hold a 23-25 record entering Friday’s game against the Rockets. While the Celtics’ disappointing record has some wondering if Tatum and Brown are the right leaders for the team, Brad Stevens thinks they’re on the right track to be solid leaders as they age.
The Celtics coach believes that Tatum (who’s 23) and Brown (24) still have a few years before they hit their leadership peak.
“Listen, those two guys are All-Stars and those two guys understand that with that, with the expectation of being our best players, that people are going to evaluate them in everything that they do,” Stevens told reporters prior to Friday’s game. “That’s a hard transition for a young guy. I’ve tried to be very empathetic towards that because I think that as much as we ask of them, that’s just another responsibility.
“I’ve said for years, or at least I’ve said in the past year, that my goal for them was to be two of the better leaders by the time they’re 26 or 27, right?” he said. “You have more experience, you have more to lean on. They’ll have this year, whatever it turns out to be, to lean on as another opportunity to reach back and say, ‘I’ve lived this and I can help us navigate this.’”
When it comes to younger players, Stevens doesn’t expect them to be vocal leaders necessarily. Instead, he hopes younger players can display signs of leadership through their play, and he thinks Tatum and Brown are doing that.
“I think the most important thing that young players can do when talking about leading is they can lead by example with their play on both ends, and they can be accountable,” Stevens said. “And I think, for the most part, they deserve high marks in those areas, and especially accountability. Those guys don’t chirp from the responsibility, they don’t point fingers at other people, and they have been really receptive to growth, and they deserve credit for that. They’re not as good of leaders as they will be when they’re 27, but they’re as good as any [23]- and 24-year-old I can imagine. And so, I think that that’s one of the many reasons I think they’re special.”
Even though his coach defended his leadership ability, Brown stated in March that he was disappointed with his leadership.
“My job is to come out and play basketball and inspire guys to play hard and compete to win. I haven’t done a great job at that,” Brown told reporters following a loss to the Kings on March 19. “It’s been a challenge for me. I accepted that challenge at the beginning of the year. So ultimately, I’ve got to do a better job at being a leader.”
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