After his teammate was tapped to step in for Team USA this year, Jaylen Brown posted a short and cryptic message on X to describe his reaction. According to Brown, this was a moment he would never forget and it would help fuel him in the years to come.
🧐🧐🧐
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024
He also seemingly called out Nike, who he apparently blames for his poor standing with Team USA.
@nike this what we doing ?
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024
Around the league, fans shared a similar sentiment that Brown was disrespected by his exclusion from the roster. He’s arguably the best player on the NBA’s best team right now and yet keeps getting denied of his status as one of the game’s elites.
Jaylen Brown trying to figure out why he’s the best player on the Celtics but getting snubbed for everything pic.twitter.com/mZEJCR86j5 https://t.co/Ns6cs1Zh8F
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) July 10, 2024
Brown, 27, has long been depicted as the “sidekick” to his co-star Jayson Tatum. As a former No. 3 overall pick, Jaylen has been among the best in his class from the beginning but he’s never had a chance to shine on the Celtics.
Team USA’s original active roster only included one Celtics star: Jayson Tatum. The 26-year-old forward out of Duke has long been touted as the Celtics’ best player with career averages of 23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 46% shooting.
But Jaylen Brown is the reigning MVP for the Eastern Conference Finals and the 2024 NBA Finals. His shot-making and defensive versatility led the Celtics to the championship and he averaged 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 19 games in the postseason.
So when NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard gave up his spot on the team, Brown expected to be next on the list. As a 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA player, and NBA champion, he is more qualified than most to assume that mantle that Kawhi left behind. Instead, they overlooked Brown (who plays the same position as Kawhi) in favor of Derrick White.
Naturally, Team USA’s recruitment process does not say anything about the hierarchy of the Celtics but it must have been a major blow for Brown to once again be overlooked even after leading the Celtics to a championship. But now that the decision is made, there’s nothing left for him to do but strengthen his own game and prove them wrong on the court.
Despite being champions, both Brown and the Celtics as a whole face major questions and doubts about the future. With Tatum now the face of NBA 2K25 and a participant of Team USA, it seems like Brown is meant to be the odd man out and that he should concede to Tatum as the face and the leader of the franchise. On the court, however, it’s Brown who consistently shows up for the Celtics and gets the job done even when Tatum is not right.
For a Celtics team that won 64 games last season, having a fired-up Brown could be the edge they need to make history as the latest Celtics team to repeat as champions. Regardless, the work starts now for Jaylen and he’s got the receipts ready for when/if he proves everyone wrong.
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