Danny Ainge continues to back his star tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown despite the team's continued struggles.

"I wish I had answers for you. I don't," Ainge said on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday. "I do believe in my players. I like them all individually. I think they have good futures. I just think right now our team is in a major funk."

The Celtics have lost eight of 11 games overall.

"Here's what the biggest thing about Jaylen and Jayson is," Ainge said. "They've been shielded before because they've had other really good players, veterans around them as they developed -- and went to three out of four Eastern Conference [finals].

"Now it's on them. Now they're the stars. And they've got the big contracts. And they got the All-Star nods. So the microscope is on them."

Ainge is saying that the issues with the Celtics are on him more than his young stars or coach Brad Stevens.

"This is a me problem," Ainge said. "I'm saying that I love my two young guys, they're not perfect, and they're learning, and this adversity is part of their growth and development -- not intentionally, it's just the nature of the beast."