Jaylen Brown has not had a quiet summer. The star Boston Celtics guard was left off the Team USA roster and there has been a lot of speculation as to why that was the case. There are multiple reasons why this decision was made. Brown has spoken on it as well as Team USA managing director Grant Hill.
A Boston.com article written by Conor Roche included quotes from both Brown and Hill. Hill talked about Brown's exclusion from the team on Friday. “This idea that there’s a conspiracy theory, I always love a good conspiracy theory, but it was really truly a basketball decision,” Hill said.
These are tough decisions, but having gone through this with the FIBA competition, you want to find the right balance and the right pieces on the court that we needed. “Not to say he wouldn’t have been good — there’s a lot of guys, a whole list of guys who are very capable and qualified — but for where we were, it was the right decision. Derrick White, I think, will help us as we pursue gold.”
Brown has a rocky relationship with Nike who is the outfitter of Team USA. Brown talked about that influencing the decision. “I do for sure,” Brown said. “There’ll be more stuff to come with that but as of now I’m not going to comment on it.” This situation gained more attention when Celtics guard Derrick White was called upon to fill a roster spot for Team USA.
Hill talked about the addition of White to the team. “Let’s bring in someone who can really give us great defense at the point of attack,” Hill said of the decision to add White. “That was also a priority for putting this team together: Being able to pick up full court, guard, and pressure the point guard of opposing teams. Jrue Holiday might be the best in the world at doing this.
But having some injuries we had during camp, what happens if Jrue gets hurt? Derrick White might be the second-best in the world at point-of-attack defense. That was sort of the thought process.” Brown emphasized that there were no hard feelings between him and White.
I called Derrick right away,” Brown said. “Just to make sure there’s no confusion, my love for you and all of that. He knew that, and he did. You don’t always gotta make everything public. Me and D-White are good.” This issue is unlikely to carry over into the Celtics locker room as the 2024-25 season approaches.