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Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown was recently asked about Jayson Tatum's lack of playing time at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Brown initially shut down the question about his teammate before giving a rather blunt answer, via Celtics reporter Noa Dalzell.
“I don't have any comments right now,” Brown said on NBC Sports Bay Area. “Jayson will be fine. Jayson Tatum will be fine.”
It was surprising to say the least that Tatum, who was fresh off an NBA Finals victory, did not see much playing time for Team USA. Tatum is one of the best players in the NBA, yet he did not play at all in the Semi-Final game and saw only 11 minutes of action in the championship game.
Team USA still won the gold medal as LeBron James and Stephen Curry led the way. Steve Kerr's Tatum strategy drew backlash from many, though.
However, Brown opted not to criticize Kerr, instead deflecting the question for the most part.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum will likely have added motivation in 2024-25
Nobody would blame Tatum if he felt disrespected with his playing time at the Olympics. One has to imagine that despite winning the 2023-24 NBA Finals, Tatum will still have added motivation during the upcoming campaign.
Perhaps the same can be said about Brown, as he did not even have a spot on the Team USA roster. Brown stepped up throughout the postseason and is establishing himself as a true superstar in the NBA.
Tatum and Brown will look to repeat as champions during the 2024-25 campaign. It will prove to be an immense challenge since earning back-to-back championships is quite rare. This Celtics team features the potential to accomplish the feat, though, with players such as Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
