“We had no spirit, with no personality,” Kristaps Porzingis’ bold words following the crushing defeat against the Raptors still echo in everyone’s ears. That wasn’t a one-off though. The Celtics big man has been quite vocal about the team’s struggles this season, even going so far as to describe their play as “like a house cat.” But on Wednesday against the Bulls, everything changed. It was Porzingis, who took control on both ends of the court and yet found a way to leave everyone stunned with his remark but Jaylen Brown was in full support of his teammate.

When Brown took a seat at the postgame press conference after their 122-100 win against Chicago, a reporter asked him about Porzingis’ comment on the team’s lack of communication and whether Brown had noticed his teammate stepping up in that area. “That’s what I would love to see. I would love KP to, you know, be more vocal, speak more,” Brown said.

“I’ll try to empower that as much as we possibly can, but like, you know, when KP is communicating and like, you know, everything’s clear on offense and defense, I think we’re better for it.” With a big thumbs up, Brown showed his support and even encouraged Porzingis to take on that role. “So yeah, I encourage him and we give him all that space to do that because KP is important to our team. So him taking more of a leadership role is excellent,” Brown added.

It all started when Porzingis openly expressed his thoughts on how things have been unfolding behind the scenes in his second season with the C’s. The confession came following last night’s victory, when he was asked if his comfort level in communicating with the squad had increased, he explained how with younger teams, there are more opportunities for learning, but it wasn’t the same with Boston. “With this team, I came in and I was like, ‘These guys know how to play basketball,'” Porzingis said. “So there’s no reason to force it.” However, there was one area that still needed attention.

“Sometimes we lack a little bit of communication as a team and we need to talk more,” the 29-year-old added. “So I think just that part we can improve for sure. We have a pretty chill and relaxed locker room, but sometimes we need a little more — being more vocal as a group.”

From Jaylen Brown‘s statement, it’s clear that the team is open to discussions to make things better in Boston. So, it would be safe to say that Porzingis was spot on with his assessment of the squad, calling them “chilled.” Besides supporting Porzingis’ leadership role, Brown also highlighted his on-court contribution, sending a strong warning to the 29 other NBA teams.

Jaylen Brown highlights Kristaps Porzingis’ “scary” performance

Porzingis set the TD Garden on fire with his phenomenal season-high performance. He was literally everywhere on the court. On defense, he was a force, and when the camera panned to the offense, there he was, the 7-foot-2 Latvian, hitting 10-of-18 shots from the floor and 8-of-14 from beyond the arc with confidence.

By the end of the night, Porzingis had put up 34 points to the Celtics board, his highest of the season. And 26 of those points came in the opening half, giving the Celtics the early edge they needed. Not only did he score efficiently but he also grabbed 11 rebounds flaunting his versatility. Brown, on the other hand, added 28 points.

During the presser, Brown pointed out, “It’s tough. It’s scary when KP’s shooting the ball like that with confidence, you know, that opens it up for everybody else.” That surely boosted the team, especially after their tough loss at home in the previous game. This performance was definitely a much-needed comeback. “So that’s what I’d like to see. KP had a great game tonight. We just got to keep building,” Brown stated.

If the team can keep building this way, there’s a chance they could bounce back into the form that the fanbase has been eagerly waiting for. And that’s something the other teams in the league wouldn’t want to see because they’ve already witnessed last season what happens when the Celtics hit their top form.