Jaylen Brown Opens Up About Leadership Growth in Marcus Smart’s Absence

The Boston Celtics are set to make their second NBA Finals appearance in three seasons. This time around, the Celtics will enter a championship series without guard Marcus Smart.

Smart was a member of the Celtics for nine seasons before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies last summer. The three-time All-Defensive First Team selection earned a reputation for being a passionate, vocal leader on the court.

Despite Smart’s absence, Boston is on a dominant 12-2 run in the postseason. Jaylen Brown, this year’s Eastern Conference Finals MVP, has been a major component to the team’s playoff success.

Per Inside The Celtics, Brown spoke about stepping up as vocal leader on the court.

“Yeah, we had some guys leave, so I wanted to make sure that void was filled. Marcus Smart, one of my brothers that got traded, he was one of the voices of our team. And when he wasn't here, I wanted to make sure I stepped in. Make sure that everybody felt me and everybody knew what the standard was. And we didn't skip no steps all season. I think we played the right way every single game, I've held everybody accountable, and this is the byproduct.”

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for Thursday, June 6. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. EST.