Slowly but surely, the Boston Celtics appear to be righting the ship, with wins in nine of their last 13 games and four of their last five.
Much of whether or not they regress to the inconsistent team from earlier in the season relies on Boston's top two players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Speaking with the media prior to Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden, coach Ime Udoka said that it's time for Tatum and Brown to add something else to their responsibilities: leadership.
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"It's one of the areas we've really outlined for them," Udoka said. "Previous years, a lot of veteran guys were here with them and they would kind of just lay in the background and play more so than speak up."
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Udoka mentioned Marcus Smart and Al Horford -- back in Boston after two seasons away -- as leaders as well, but that it was time for Tatum and Brown to step up in that regard.
"As well as on the court, we need that leadership off the court," Udoka said.
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Tatum and Brown are both excelling on the court during the Celtics' modest hot streak, averaging a combined 51.7 points per game over their last 13 (Tatum at 26.9, Brown at 24.6). Both players are shooting the ball reasonably well, too, over 46 percent from the floor.
Talent has never been the issue for either Tatum or Brown, of course. So if Boston (27-25) is going to stay above .500 and make any sort of move in the Eastern Conference standings, maybe the leadership from the players that's been lacking is what's needed to reach the next level.