Stevens: Brown’s Olympic snub ‘will likely add more fuel to the fire’ originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown does a great job of finding motivation and has used it throughout his career to become one of the best basketball players in the world.
Much has been said and written about Brown not being selected for the United States men’s basketball team for the Paris Olympics in 2024, especially when he was not chosen after Kawhi Leonard withdrew.
A player of his caliber deserved to be on the team, especially after helping the Celtics win their 18th championship in the spring – a playoff run that included him winning Eastern Conference MVP and NBA Finals MVP.
Will the Olympic snub motivate Brown even more heading into the next NBA season? Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens thinks so.
“I think Jaylen could be on any Olympic team any year,” Stevens recently said Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “He could be a standout part of these teams. I saw [USA Basketball director Grant Hill] I said I’d love to sit down and talk to him about being part of that group in ’28, whatever that may be.
“But I think Jaylen is one of the best players in the world. And one of the best things about Jaylen is whether he gets the call and makes the team or not, he’s going to use that as motivation to do better. So I know he’s working and he’s excited to get better.
“I think he’ll really embrace the challenges that come with winning last year. He’s always been like that. And that will probably add more fuel to his fire. But he doesn’t need a lot of added fuel. He finds it.”
Three of Brown’s Celtics teammates — Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday — are on the 2024 team in Paris.
Team USA will face France on Saturday in the gold medal match. The United States is seeking its fifth consecutive gold medal in men’s Olympic basketball.
