It's a hard pill to swallow for Jaylen Brown. While he seemed like the ideal player to replace Kawhi Leonard, the NBA champion and Finals MVP was left out by the American Basketball Federation in favor of his teammate, Derrick White. The Celtics guard/winger even publicly questioned the integrity of the choice.
In a tweet (“Nike, is that how we behave?”), the Celtics forward suggests that Nike played a role in his non-selection. Without a shoe contract, Jaylen Brown had criticized Team USA's equipment supplier, particularly when it terminated Kyrie Irving's contract. “Since when has Nike been interested in ethics?” Jaylen Brown had then posted on social media.
Faced with the start of the controversy created by this cryptic message, Grant Hill clarified the situation and highlighted the need to create team cohesion.
“We need to build a team,” he explains. “And one of the hardest things is leaving out people that I’m a fan of and look forward to watching throughout the season, throughout the playoffs. Guys that have been Finals MVPs, guys that have been a part of the program, guys that have won gold medals. Guys that I respect and admire and love to watch. But the responsibility that I have is to build a team and a group that complements each other.”
The same role as at the Celtics?
“Two-way player”, Derrick White has always been a “Lieutenant”, and he knows his role by heart.
“One of the many things I really like about Derrick, and especially about this team, is that I don't feel like his role changes much from what he does with the Celtics.”believes the manager of Team USA. “He’s already playing alongside two great young players in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. »
In short, Grant Hill assures that he preferred the best or almost as a “role player”, rather than taking the risk of selecting the MVP of the Finals who should adapt and become a simple player at the service of the team. Derrick White, for his part, knows this role and masters it perfectly. He is thus notably accustomed to playing without the ball, in a role of defender and simple “catch-and-shooter”.
“This setting is difficult when you come in, you're the center of the universe and you have to get used to a role that's maybe different from what you have to do with your team,” concludes Grant Hill. “We needed someone who could come in and play next to the guys who are going to have the ball, be complementary to others, but also be a defensive player, make shots and just have an impact to win.”
