Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum might have only spent one season in college, but he's looking to heed the advice of his former coach, Mike Krzyzewski.

“Coach K” has been a believer in leadership on the court, not only on the sidelines, and urged Tatum to speak up when he had to — something he'll have to display as he grows within this roster.

“Coach K always wanted me to talk more, even when I was in college,” Tatum told Nicole Yang of Boston.com after a small chuckle. “That’s something I’m going to do as I get older.”

The Celtics have vocal leaders in veterans Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, and Marcus Morris — but they will have to see Tatum take that great step from bright up-and-coming star to a great leader to make a dent in the East.

“Obviously, we’ve gotten a lot of credit coming into the season because of how far we went last year,” said Tatum. “I’m looking forward to it. The East is tough. Obviously, it looks like us and Philly are going to go back and forth for years to come, but, you know, Toronto added Kawhi [Leonard] and you got Washington and Milwaukee. The East is tougher than a lot of people give us credit for.”

Tatum has the talent to become a 20-plus-point scorer with his length and athleticism, but his voice in the locker room and on the sidelines will be just as important as he matures into a finished product.