The Boston Celtics, by all rights, should have been going into this season in great spirits. The team did incredibly well to get within 2 games of the title last season, they retained their key players, and they added Malcolm Brogdon and some others as well. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were widely expected to be even more confident and improved going into 2022-23, and another title charge was almost expected.
The Ime Udoka cheating scandal and its consequences have put paid to that, though. The first-year Head Coach had done a great job bringing the team together, but his workplace relationship has earned him a 1-year suspension. And with the news breaking late in the offseason and reportedly blindsiding the players, the entire organization has been in a bit of turmoil. Things are suddenly more difficult for the Celtics than anyone expected even a month ago.
Jaylen Brown Has Called Upon Jayson Tatum To Be More Vocal This Season
The onus of leading this team now falls more than ever on their stars. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown may still be young, but both have vast playoff experience, and Tatum, in particular, has become a superstar in the league. As such, there are expectations that they will step up and lead the team out of its Udoka-related crisis. In a recent interview with NBC Sports, Brown revealed what he admires about Tatum as well as what he wants to see from him this season.
“It seems everybody could be yelling and screaming or passionate, and JT’s got that ability where he’s just in his own vibe, you know what I mean?” Brown said. “He’s able to keep himself not too high or not too low. At times where it could be frustration and you want him to say something to speak out, he just be — he don’t say nothing. He’s just cool.
“We’re gonna need him to speak more and talk more and be more vocal if we want to correct the ship and get this thing off to the right start.”
Getting off to a good start is paramount for the Celtics, they cannot allow their season to be derailed by something like the Ime Udoka scandal, which is no fault of the players. It’s a difficult situation for any player to be in, especially a young star, but Tatum will have to rise to the occasion. And if his NBA career so far has proved anything, it’s that he will try his best to do it too.
