East Notes: Celtics, Jaylen Brown, Pistons, Hornets, Brandon Miller

Celtics

With Jayson Tatum sidelined and several veterans gone, Jaylen Brown has stepped into a bigger leadership role in Boston, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes.

Brown, who usually spends summers traveling, stayed in Boston this offseason to build chemistry with his new teammates.

“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,” Brown said. “To see them not be around anymore obviously is going to have an effect on our team, but we have five new players we’ve got to get on board and acclimated into the system.

“And I’m trying to expedite that chemistry building, that trust building so you guys can see a good product when we get to the floor.”

Brown admitted that mentoring wasn’t something that came naturally earlier in his career, but said he’s reached “a different level of peace” in recent years.

“I felt like I had to operate a certain way to protect myself,” he said. “But I feel like I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I’m at peace, and I feel like I can express more of myself to the world… More so showing the world who Jaylen Brown is.”

Pistons

Ron Holland added 15 pounds this offseason as he prepares for potential minutes at power forward behind Tobias Harris.

“That’s where the weight-gain things come in,” Holland told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “Whatever position they need me to go in and play, I’m ready for it, whether it’s the one, two, three or four. I feel like if I go sub Tobias and I go guard some fours, I’ll be prepared for that.”

The Pistons finished last season second in fast-break points per game (18.5) and seventh in points off turnovers (19), per The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff wants to lean into that identity even further.

“There’s a way that you can defend and still be explosive, and that’s what we aim to do,” Bickerstaff said.

Hornets

Brandon Miller missed a chunk of last season with a wrist injury, but Charlotte’s front office continues to see star potential.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a ceiling on him because Brandon can be as good as he wants to be,” executive VP of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said, via the Charlotte Observer. “He can be a Hall of Famer. And he knows the expectations on him this season. More importantly, he has those same expectations for himself.”

Miller, 22, is entering his third season and is viewed as a potential All-Star and franchise cornerstone.