Celtics player Al Horford criticizes Team USA for Jayson Tatum’s role and Jaylen Brown’s rejection | News, results, highlights, stats and rumors
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Although the US national team successfully won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, there was also some controversy.
The lack of playing time for Jayson Tatum and the snub of Jaylen Brown after leading the Boston Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship did not sit well with some people, and Celtics center Al Horford is the latest to express his displeasure with the situation.
“I personally wasn’t happy about it,” Horford told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne about Tatum’s sporadic playing time with USA Basketball and Brown’s cancellation. “These guys are very special to me. And even though it was nothing against me, it motivated me and all of us for this season.”
When Kawhi Leonard was cut from the Team USA roster, many expected Brown to be selected as his replacement after his outstanding performances in the playoffs and NBA Finals MVP honors. However, Team USA gave the 12th and final roster spot to his Celtics teammate Derrick White. Brown criticized the rebuff in a series of tweets:
Jaylen Brown @FCHWPO
@nike is that what we do?
Grant Hill, executive director of Team USA, explained the decision by saying: “They get 12 spots and they have to build a team. And one of the hardest things to do is cut people from the roster that I’m a fan of. … But my responsibility is to put together a team … that gives us the best chance of success. And whatever the theories are, they’re just theories.”
Hill’s statement triggered another reaction from Brown:
Horford said he believes Brown should have received more attention because he has made tremendous progress in his game since his last game for the U.S. national team and his disappointing performance at the 2019 FIFA World Cup.
“You could see an evolution in Jaylen’s game (last season),” Horford said. “It wasn’t just about scoring points. He got people involved. He reads the right balls. He makes the cuts when he needs to get to the basket. And then defensively he just took it to another level. His energy, his effort on defense – that was inspiring to all of us.”
After Brown’s dismissal, Celtics fans were left with more questions when Tatum did not play a single minute of the U.S. team’s first group game against Serbia. U.S. team head coach Steve Kerr said he “felt like an idiot” for not letting Tatum play, but he already drew the ire of Tatum’s parents, who reacted on social media:
BCole_Esq @Brandy_N_Cole
No, he doesn’t. But if you find out what’s going on, please let me know – this is unacceptable and makes NO SENSE. https://t.co/vtz1W398XJ
Tatum finished the Olympics averaging 5.25 points, 5.25 rebounds and 1.5 assists in less than 18 minutes per game. Horford added that he was proud of how his teammates handled their respective situations, but he was still disappointed with how things turned out.
“I know they handled it well. They’re doing well,” Horford said. “But when you see those two guys, the amount of work they put in, the sacrifices they made. They were at their best and this happened to them. It was hard to watch (the Olympics) and not see them in the position we would have liked to see them in.”
