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On the final day of offseason workouts, right before the Boston Celtics shifted into training camp mode in late September, head coach Joe Mazzulla huddled all of the team’s youngest players in his office for lunch and a chat about the upcoming season. The collective NBA experience at the table was minimal among a group that spent the dog days of summer grinding away inside the Auerbach Center. At least it was until an uninvited guest slipped into an open chair. Jaylen Brown, the four-time All-Star and NBA Finals MVP who has played more postseason games (135) than the Raptors have in the entire 30-year existence (123), wanted to listen in on the conversation, and eventually offered his own advice to the team’s newest faces. “He didn't have to come, you know? But he came and he listened to what Joe was saying and he gave us some advice going into the season,” said rookie two-way guard Max Shulga. “His leadership is on a very high level and is showing every day.” Brown easily could have disappeared this summer. Entering his 10th NBA season, he is a certified veteran who could have rehabbed from offseason knee surgery anywhere in the world. Instead, he chose to largely hang in Brighton. What’s more, he organized multiple team-bonding events with Boston’s youngest players, including field trips to concerts and sporting events. Shortly after that end-of-summer meeting in Mazzulla’s office, Brown chaperoned a trip down to Foxboro to mingle with Robert Kraft and a bunch of the Patriots’ Lombardi trophies. "We've got a lot of ground to make up,” said Brown. "Half of our team, half of our rotation is gone. People think you can just get out there on the court and make magic happen. It doesn't always work like that. So you've got to build chemistry. You have to get to know guys, build trust. And some of that takes time, sometimes. "I'm trying to accelerate some of those learning curves. Just getting guys together for events -- football games, concerts, whatever -- to spend some more time with each other. Because that kind of has a determinant of what you guys see in the product, is how much chemistry we have. "So we're building it. I wouldn't say we're there yet. We're building some trust and some chemistry. We're going to have to have some guys step up this year. But that's what I'm working on as a leader." It does not feel like a stretch to suggest that the 2025-26 Celtics will go as far as Jaylen Brown can take them. With Jayson Tatum rehabbing from Achilles surgery to start the season, Brown will be the focal point of a Celtics team in transition. But the quickest path back to contention might simply be Brown taking yet another step in his NBA evolution, all while bringing out the best in everyone around him. All eyes are on Brown this season. And he’s ready for it. "I've always thought Jaylen was his very best when the challenges were biggest,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. "He's thinking about how we can get off to a good start together, assimilate the new guys, talk with our other returners about the responsibility of putting that uniform on, about the competitiveness it takes to compete at the level we want to compete at. And he's a good example of that. "I think that he always thrives when he feels challenged. And I expect that he will thrive.” Brown will be only the 15th player to play 10-plus seasons with the Celtics. He’ll turn 29 later this week. Now, he’s ready to take the next step in his evolution as a leader. "You saw what he did with his teammates [last month] going to the football game. Just taking on little things, leadership-wise, he's more of the vocal guy," said head coach Joe Mazzulla. "He speaks a lot more, he holds people accountable, he has an understanding of the environment, and he brings a level of intensity into the building every day. "He takes on the challenge of how hard a regular season is, and how hard a journey is. ... I think he does a great job of just being vocal about the standard, and the things that are important." The tone-setter Brown has long known how to command a room. Three years ago, in the aftermath of falling short in the 2022 Finals, NBC Sports Boston huddled Brown and Tatum together for a joint preseason interview. Brown did much of the talking, including one memorable sequence where he playfully asked Tatum if he wanted to win. They both declared that winning was far more important than any individual accolades. Then they went out and proved it. Now, even as Tatum rehabs from an Achilles rupture suffered in Boston’s disappointing second-round playoff exit, Brown remains steadfast that the goal has not changed. "To me, it's the same mindset, nothing has changed,” said Brown. "I want to win the same way I wanted to win then. So the expectation for me, in my brain, has not changed. I want to win and I'm going to come out and compete every single night.” Despite battling a knee issue last season, Brown earned his third straight All-Star nod while averaging 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and a career-best 4.5 assists over 34.3 minutes per game. The Celtics have stressed a desire to play faster this season, and that’s music to Brown’s transition-loving ears. So much of Boston’s success could boil down to Brown's ability to make everyone around him better. “I think that one of the things that sometimes gets misconstrued in situations like this is that it’ll show itself more in scoring, it'll show itself more in usage,” said Stevens. "I think a lot of times it becomes more about, you're going to be drawing more attention, and I think that he's really thinking about how he can help make his team better.” Echoed Mazzulla: "I think on the court he leads with his ability to play both offensively and defensively, and you see him put his body through certain things and to be able to execute. Any given night, he'll do what it makes sense on that night to win.” Brown played just 49 total minutes this preseason, with his final appearance cut short by a hamstring tweak that left his status for opening night uncertain. Two days before the start of the new campaign, Brown said he felt great, but is taking the injury rehab day-by-day. What’s more certain is that Brown will find a way to positively impact winning whenever he’s healthy and on the court. "I'm excited to see him in this kind of role, where we're gonna need him to do a lot,” said Celtics forward Xavier Tillman. "So it's gonna be more, ‘Hey, we're gonna move how you move. So, whichever way you want to take it, as far as your mentality or your training in between games, or, shoot, even something as simple as the music we listen to in the locker room, we're going on your vibe.' “I think it's gonna be pretty cool to see how he handles it and how he carries himself through the process." Celtics teammates are emboldened by the way that the team has routinely thrived whenever Brown has been thrust into that spotlight. As Stevens said, challenges tend to bring out the best in Brown. "I feel like every time his number is called, he rises to the occasion,” said Celtics forward Sam Hauser. "And he's one of those guys who can really take it to another level on any given night, whenever he wants to. There's there's not many people who can do that, but he's one of those very few that can do that. "I think this year he's kind of out to prove himself against a lot of people who say he can't do it. And knowing him, I think he's going to rise to that occasion and thrive.” It will not surprise anyone that reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard has particularly lofty expectations for Brown. “All-NBA for sure,” said Pritchard. "I mean, he's always in that conversation, so it's not necessarily a jump, But just being that guy that he's very capable of being, and leading us to victories and leading the conference and getting us to playoffs and trying to compete for a championship. "JB is one of the top players in the NBA for a reason, and he's going to show that this year.” Leading with words and actions Why was it important for Brown to set a tone this offseason? "With this new group, it's just keeping the vibes right, making sure everybody feels comfortable, making an identity for ourselves, what we're gonna do,” said Brown. "We’re gonna play fast, we're gonna play unselfish, we're gonna play defense -- all of these things that Joe has emphasized.” His words have resonated with the newcomers. Veteran Chris Boucher is the oldest player on the roster at age 32, but he’s been going head-to-head with Brown since their college days. He marvels at the way that Brown has blossomed from that teenager he first saw at Cal. Luka Garza says there’s an excitement that comes when you have a leader like Brown. “He's extremely vocal, but also extremely insightful, with the words he chooses and what he says,” said Garza. "And I feel like every time he speaks up, it's extremely impactful. So I think it's easy to kind of learn from a leader like that. And I'm excited to continue to be out there with him and go to war with him.” It’s important for Brown to lead -- not only with his voice, but by example. “Success comes from the top to the bottom,” Brown said after a recent practice. He wants to be held accountable. He tries to win every practice sprint. He knows the younger players are watching. Brown marvels at the fact that he’s already entering his 10th NBA season. His family calls him “Old Man,” but he can only smile whenever it’s suggested that he’s grizzled now by NBA standards. This season -- especially while Tatum rehabs -- offers a chance to answer the perpetual question of how Brown might fare if he was the focal point of a team. He routinely pushes back on the narrative of 1A vs. 1B. Brown simply wants to be the best version of himself, and bring out the best version of all his teammates. He’ll leave the power rankings to the media. Regardless, a harsher spotlight will leave Brown under the microscope. There will be a lot of noise, but he’s become elite at blocking it out. During our preseason chat, we ask Brown if he ever gets nervous anymore. "I get excited,” said Brown, before asking a question of his own. "Is that a form of nervousness?” We playfully suggest that Mazzulla would tell us that nervousness is just overthought opportunity. You can’t be nervous unless you have a chance to do something perceived as beyond your ability. How you internalize that is different for each person. "I don't get nervous a lot anymore,” said Brown. "I get excited, more so than anything. Like, I get antsy and stuff like that. I’ve got to calm myself down.” Brown's excitement for this new season is palpable. He’s not overthinking the opportunity in front of him. He’s done everything he can to prepare himself -- and his new teammates — for what’s ahead. There will be unexpected twists and turns. But that’s the fun part. Brown is ready for whatever comes next for him and this Celtics team. And he wants to be the one out front leading his teammates wherever the new season takes them.
