Year after year, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have proven to be one of the most powerful dos in the NBA after seven seasons together. But, after winning their first-ever championship last campaign, they’ve finally proven they have what it takes to be remembered as one of the best pairs in league history.
Nevertheless, not even earning the Celtics’ first title since 2008 has convinced some that they deserve this recognition, as both players have had their share of disappointments this summer and a lot has been said about it. First it was JB who was snubbed off the Olympic squad, and then JT was given poor playing time with Team USA.
One Hall of Famer wasn’t going to let this one fly. “I think Jaylen getting left off the Olympic team and Jayson not playing… They’re the defending champs that’s gonna take their confidence to another level. The NBA found a way to piss both of them off this summer,” said Charles Barkley this week.
Charles Barkley on Tatum and Brown
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“The NBA has found a way to piss both of them off this summer”
–#celtics #bostonceltics
Via @BillSimmons
⚡️ by @PrizePicks @Gametime pic.twitter.com/agpE62VXX8— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) September 5, 2024
“How about that? Only the NBA can do that. Let’s piss off two of the top ten players in the NBA after they’re coming off a championship,” he assured, after Brown ended last season with averages of 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per match and Tatum averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.
Also, Boston conquered the NBA title with JB as their Finals MVP, and many considered him a better asset for Team USA’s gold-medal aspirations than Derrick White. Either way, JB didn’t want any trouble, so he revealed that he called his teammate to make sure there was no “confusion.”
“I called Derrick right away,” the All-Star told reporters last month ahead of the Celtics’ summer league match against the Lakers in Las Vegas. “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.”
JB anticipates he will use snubs as motivation and embrace villain role this upcoming season: ‘I want blood’
Based on Jaylen’s Twitter posts during this time, the player understood this wasn’t entirely a personal shot at him, but he did mentioned that Nike is probably one of the reasons why he hasn’t been taken into consideration. If you add his Eastern Conference finals MVP and Finals MVP trophies, it sure feels strange he wasn’t called to represent his nation.
Whatever the real reasons are, there sure was drama involved in this one, and Brown plans to use it as motivation. While answering to comments on his own Instagram post, he liked a comment that said, “JB villain year loading…” and then responded by warning the rest of the league: “I want blood.”
In the meantime, the Celtics star is getting ready to get back to the grind of the NBA. Even though he has been enjoying the adulation that comes with winning an NBA championship in Boston, he’s focused on leading the pack to defend another title next year.
“Last year is over, to be honest. We celebrated; we had a good time. It’s been an awesome summer. I’ve been having a great summer, by the way. But it’s over with it,” JB said. “Now we got the target on our back. Everybody’s trying to come after us and I’m like, ‘Come on.’ It’s back to work. And I’m looking forward to next season.”
