As the Boston Celtics usher into a challenging season, the locker room isn’t quite the same. They lost many integral voices. Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and Al Horford have all departed. While the Celtics are still resilient, the locker room can’t help but feel a little empty. Jaylen Brown, who is slated to lead the team, understands it the best.

These were teammates with whom he won a championship. The band was also tight, playing together day in and day out. “It’s a little bit sad. A lot of the guys, I spent a lot of time with. We had such a great group over the last couple of years. To see them not be around anymore, obviously is going to have an effect on our team,” Brown said on media day.

It’s going to be a different season for the Shamrocks. It starts with shifting their identity, as even Jayson Tatum will likely miss the remainder of the season. The Celtics have lost a lot of their system players, too. So now, Brown is taking it on himself to get his new teammates familiar with the culture that resides in the building.

“We’ve got five new players that we’ve got to get onboarded and acclimated into the system. So I’m trying to expedite that chemistry building, that trust building, so you guys can see a really good product when we get to the floor,” Jaylen Brown said, according to The Athletic. Notably, the Celtics have Anfernee Simons, center Chris Boucher, and others joining the roster. It’s going to hard to substitute for the players the Celtics lost.

Notably, Simons doesn’t have the mastery on the defensive end like Holiday. Boucher can’t shoot as consistently as Al Horford, who departed to join the Golden State Warriors. Still, even with the adjustments the Celtics have to make, Joe Mazzulla has guys he trusts. Particularly, Brown’s role will have to expand.

And he’s shown the qualities to take on that mantle.

Jaylen Brown is in for a big year with the Celtics

A changed roster and a year without Jayson Tatum don’t see the Celtics submit to their circumstances. Mazzulla is still going to push for the championship. And his headhunter is going to be the 2024 Finals MVP. Jaylen Brown has been an incredible force for the Celtics. He’s adjusted to fit seamlessly alongside Tatum.

But now he has the license to dictate the tempo. A new role Brown envisions for himself is to be the offensive initiator. “Over the last two years, I’ve been put more in that role to be a playmaker and even though the numbers haven’t really jumped off, I think I’ve improved in that area a lot. I think this year will be a great year to see that,” said the Celtics shooting guard.

The four-time All-Star averaged a career-high 4.5 assists last season. Even with Payton Pritchard slated to start, JB might take on ball-handling duties. Moreover, Brown has always been a commanding voice in the locker room, even with Tatum. There will now be added emphasis on his leadership capabilities. And his teammates trust him to deliver.

“He’s super motivated as always, and you can definitely tell by the way he’s approaching the offseason, the workouts, when he’s in the building, just communicating with everybody, making sure everybody’s good,” Celtics’ Baylor Scheierman added. But it won’t just be Jaylen Brown who will have an imposing presence.

The Celtics didn’t lose all of their core. And Tatum trusts the likes of Pritchard and Derrick White to take a leap during the season. On paper, they don’t appear as intimidating as the past few seasons. But the Celtics are still capable of being in the postseason hunt. Jaylen Brown will be imperative, and he is embracing the opportunity. If Mazzulla can tie it all together, be on the watch for the former champs to shock the NBA world.