The 2025-26 season will be a significant test for Jaylen Brown, as he steps into a lead role on both sides of the floor for the Boston Celtics. Not only will the 2024 Finals MVP need to spearhead the offense in Jayson Tatum’s absence, he may also be tasked with anchoring Joe Mazzulla’s perimeter defense following Jrue Holiday’s exit earlier this summer.

Brown is more than capable of being a leading star on an NBA team. He’s proven himself time and time again. However, being a two-way star isn’t easy, especially throughout an 82-game season, and even more so when the roster isn’t optimized to get the best out of your skill set. Nevertheless, Brown should be confident of having a career year.

During a recent appearance on NESN’s “Hold My Banner” podcast, former Celtics forward Malik Fitts echoed a similar sentiment regarding Brown’s potential to have a big season for Boston.

“He’s Finals MVP,” Fitts said. “I don’t know how you can doubt that. That year that he won Finals MVP, you saw the level at which he was playing. He was playing at a really, really high level. Even the year that I was there, we lost to the Warriors. He was playing at a really high level even then. And I never really understood the hatred or any of the bad-mouthing that they (some fans) had towards Jaylen. But I am curious to see how he will lead the team while Jayson is out. Personally, I think he’ll handle it well. I think he’s going to lead the team pretty well.”

If Brown can stay healthy, there’s no reason to think he won’t have a career year. It’s also worth remembering that he’s also got Derrick White, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard on the roster with him, so there’s more than enough scoring support to help ease some of the burden.

The upcoming season will be a significant test for the Celtics, which is part and parcel of being a rebuilding team. However, with Brown leading the way, Mazzulla can remain confident that getting buckets in transition or on the interior, shouldn’t be a problem all season long.

Watch or listen to the “Celtics Chronicle” podcast on:

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3QnlPcS

Spotify: https://bit.ly/40JRevf

Apple: https://apple.co/45sAUBG

Substack: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf