“Jaylen Brown has decided to take over for the Celtics!”: Coach Ime Udoka and Al Horford praise star guard for being the much-needed leader for the team off late

The Celtics team is being led by the young duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for a long time now, it was about time that one of them stepped up as a vocal leader as well. 

Since making some major trades in the 2021 off-season, including Kemba Walker’s trade to the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics lag a leader on the court as well as in the locker room.

The issue has been raised by many individuals in Boston camp as the season progressed. The most recent one was the head coach Ime Udoka, who looked really off about his team last month when the Celtics visited MSG.

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Boston lost unbelievably massive leads in the game, giving the Knicks the game away in the last second with RJ Barrett scoring a buzzer-beater. After the game, Udoka said this in the press,

“It’s been the same result, some kind of lack of mental toughness. Something goes bad, and we start to drop our heads.”

C’s had already blown three 19-point leads in the season, they one-upped themselves by blowing a 25-point lead to the Knicks. That sent the team and coach wondering about the team’s leadership.

“Repetitive result… we need some leadership. Somebody that can calm us down and not get rattled when everything starts to go a little south.” Udoka stated.

Boston has found its leader in Jaylen Brown

Since then, not only the Celtics team has responded well, getting 9 wins in 14 games on a 27-25 season, but also Jaylen Brown has upped his game as a leader. In just the next game to that heartbreaking loss at MSG, the Celtics hosted the Knicks at TD Garden and took their revenge with a 99-75 win.

Brown also had a far better showing on the court, with a 22-point triple-double, but it’s his leadership that has been the key since that day. After the team’s 30 point demolition of the Miami Heat in the last game, C’s veteran big man Al Horford spoke glowingly of Brown’s recent developments, most notably as a leading voice on the court.

“It’s one thing for him to go out there and just do it with his play, but also to be able to see the game and be able to coach not only himself. Be able to call out things that he sees. As a player, to develop on that end, it not only helps himself, but it helps us as well. And we’re going to continue to encourage it,” Horford told the media.

Even the head coach joined in on giving due praise to the 25-year-old guard, who had a game-high 29-points performance against the second-best team in the East. Brown has also been scoring over 25 points in the last four games.

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2022

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The Celtics are now looking for their 5th win in 6 games as they play the Charlotte Hornets as we speak. They have the 9th spot currently, a win will bring a two-game shift as Charlotte sits at 7th at the moment.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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