Does Jaylen Brown want any extra motivation to show his doubters improper?
The star ahead has been missed his complete profession, be it getting snubbed from All-NBA and All-Defensive groups, getting included in trade talks or being considered 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 practically had the final snicker when he captured his first NBA title and NBA Finals MVP honor, solely to endure the heartbreak of being snubbed from the Workforce USA roster certain for Paris. Brown didn’t cover his disappointment, alleging that Nike — the sponsor of Workforce 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 Workforce USA roster in 2028.
Watching the occasions from afar, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens believes Brown’s spat with Hill might work in favor of the C’s within the upcoming NBA season. Stevens — who has identified Brown since 2018 — is satisfied the Workforce USA snub is “extra gas” 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 enhancing. I believe he’ll really embrace the challenges that include profitable final yr. That is who he is all the time been. And it will in all probability add extra gas to his fireplace. However he would not want a lot gas added. He finds it.”
Hill and Co. could have inadvertently awoken a monster — not that he wasn’t already awake — that might spell hassle for 29 different groups attempting 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.
