From 1950 to 2015, naming captains had been a regular part of Celtics franchise history, though one hasn’t officially been announced since. Paul Pierce last prominently filled that role over a decade ago, and Rajon Rondo briefly succeeded him before he was traded. After that, Brad Stevens steered the organization away from captains in an effort to empower everyone. Head coach Joe Mazzulla began the 2023-24 championship season explaining that naming a captain would make the Celtics overly reliant on one player. What if he doesn’t show up? It would have been a big deal—and worthy of a ceremonious announcement—if Jaylen Brown had joined that lineage and restarted the tradition.