Joe Mazzulla Shares What Makes Celtics’ Dynamic Duo Special
The Boston Celtics have a proven commodity of a talented duo with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The two all-NBA players return for another season on a run of four trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in six seasons.
While their on-court talent shines, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla appeared on JJ Redick’s “The Old Man and The Three” podcast to discuss that his appreciation for the duo goes deeper based on their qualities as people.
“Just continue to grow as leaders, as people, as players,” Mazzulla said. “They don’t get they deserve for who they are as people. I really believe that. Those two are as high character as you could possibly get. It starts there. That’s why I really believe that every single year we have a chance to win because of the character of our best players. Then, their work ethic. They’re always opening to grow. I think their biggest area of growth with our roster now is how they express who they are as leaders. It’s going to look different for each of them.”
As Tatum commits to growing as a leader, he noted that he is different than Celtics legends such as Kevin Garnett. His head coach felt that in other ways, the two are similar.
“He’s just as good of a leader in a different way,” Mazzulla said. “We have to create an environment to where he feels the freedom to lead in that way.”
As for Brown, Mazzulla noted his ability to grow in terms of leading through his own play on the court.
“Jaylen took on ownership and leadership with his defense in the Philly series,” Mazzulla added. “Taking that as the leadership step.”
The Celtics head coach appreciates that both players are determined to grow their own games and find new ways to lead as the staples of the team.
“They both have publicly said that this is what they want to do,” Mazzulla said. “They grow every day, which makes it really special to work here.”
Tatum and Brown kickstart another season on Oct. 25 when the Celtics visit Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks.