The Boston Celtics enter Thursday night's contest against the New York Knicks at 54-25 on the season and in second place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with three regular season games to go.

After trading away Jrue Holliday and Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason, after losing Al Horford to free agency, and with Jayson Tatum set to miss most of the year because of his Achilles injury, nobody expected to the Celtics to be this good. But they have been, for a number of different reasons.

Joe Mazzulla's ability to coach and connect with his players, the development of role players like Neemias Queta, and the continued improvement from Payton Pritchard are all part of the recipe. You name it, and the Celtics have done it, but the biggest reason for their success?

The play, growth and leadership of Jaylen Brown.

The 29-year-old has always been an excellent player, but he's often taken a backseat to Isaiah Thomas, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, or Tatum. Always seen as the team's No. 2 option - or lower - he's stepped up when the team has needed him most this season, proving that he can be a driving force in an organization. He was the MVP of the NBA Finals in 2023-24, so he had shown it in a smaller sample, but to do it over an 82-game season? That's a different challenge.

Averaging 28.8 ppg and 7.0 rebounds, Brown is squarely in the MVP conversation. He's played 70 games, meaning he's surpassed the 65-game threshold necessary for league-wide recognition, giving him a potential path to the award.

On Thursday, Brown was the subject of a massive ESPN story chronicling how he's put together this season. The story ranges from how he leads, to how he trained in the offseason, to the thoughts that went through his mind coming off knee surgery last summer.

There was also a part of the article that discussed a conversation Brown had his mother:

"At times, I think I would make myself small, for other people to feel comfortable," (Jaylen) Brown said. "I feel like leadership is about leading to a common goal. So the goal, so however we get there, you know, if I can play my role, then I don't mind. There's nothing wrong with that. But there's a difference between that and making yourself small and dimming your light."

Brown and his mom talked for hours about that recently. She saw the same tendency in him and had an idea of how he could break the pattern.

Let people see and know him. Don't be afraid to call himself the best two-way player in the game. Call attention to the things he has done that were hard and he's proud of.

"Your light is meant to shine. So let it shine,'" Brown said she told him.

The Celtics will enter the Eastern Conference playoffs as one of the favorites to win the conference title, something they last did in that 2023-24 campaign.

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