Does Jaylen Brown want any extra motivation to show his doubters improper?
The star ahead has been ignored his complete profession, be it getting snubbed from All-NBA and All-Defensive groups, getting included in trade talks or being seen because the No. 2 to Jayson Tatum’s No. 1 on the Celtics — Brown has had sufficient ammo to develop a chip on his shoulder.
This summer season, Brown almost had the final giggle when he captured his first NBA title and NBA Finals MVP honor, solely to endure the heartbreak of being snubbed from the Staff USA roster certain for Paris. Brown didn’t disguise his disappointment, alleging that Nike — the sponsor of Staff USA — stored him out of the roster earlier than criticizing team director Grant Hill for calling him a “conspiracy theorist.”
The back-and-forth led to Hill extending an olive branch to Brown and assuring the Celtics star that he’d be a candidate for the Staff USA roster in 2028.
Watching the occasions from afar, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens believes Brown’s spat with Hill may work in favor of the C’s within the upcoming NBA season. Stevens — who has identified Brown since 2018 — is satisfied the Staff USA snub is “extra gasoline” for the 27-year-old who performs his greatest when offended.
“The most effective issues about Jaylen is whether or not he will get the decision [for 2028] and makes the workforce or would not get the decision, he will use it as motivation to get higher,” Stevens informed The Boston Globe. “So I do know he is working and he is enthusiastic about bettering. I feel he’ll really embrace the challenges that include profitable final yr. That is who he is at all times been. And it will most likely add extra gasoline to his fireplace. However he would not want a lot gasoline added. He finds it.”
Hill and Co. might have inadvertently awoken a monster — not that he wasn’t already awake — that would spell bother for 29 different groups making an attempt to dethrone the Celtics within the 2024-2025 season. A yr after a dominant run to an NBA title, the Celtics open the season as +300 favorites to repeat.