Tatum, Brown discuss how Team USA has motivated them for new NBA season
BOSTON -- The Celtics may be the reigning NBA champions, but don't worry about Boston's star players having a lack of motivation heading into the 2024-25 season. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have a strong desire to win back-to-back titles in Boston, and both players received some added motivation over the summer thanks to Team USA.
For Tatum, he's got a little something extra after Steve Kerr benched him for two games in Paris. For Brown, he's got plenty of motivation after he was left off the squad entirely.
Both Tatum and Brown discussed their Olympic situations at Tuesday's Celtics Media Day at The Auerbach Center in Boston, and how it will fuel them going forward.
Tatum says Joe Mazzulla was a big fan of his Olympic benching
Tatum added a second gold medal to his collection this summer, but all anyone wants to talk about is his benching. (And his shooting struggles that played into that benching.) Asked if being forced to watch both of Team USA's games against Serbia will give him some motivation in the new season, Tatum downplayed it a bit on Tuesday.
"I guess you could say that," Tatum told reporters. "If you want to simplify it. In real time it was tough."
Tatum said that he talked with Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla throughout the situation, and Mazzulla had his own unique reaction to things.
"He was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn't win Finals MVP and didn't play in two of the games during the Olympics. That was ... odd. But if you know Joe, it makes sense," said Tatum.
If Tatum's motivation ever wavers during the 2024-25 season, expect Mazzulla to bring Paris up to give his star forward a little extra push.
Tatum, however, would not give anyone involved with Team USA -- namely Kerr -- credit for providing that extra motivation.
"Did I need any more motivation coming into the season? No. And I'm not going to give anyone in particular credit that they motivated me heading into the season," he said. "It was a unique circumstance and something I haven't had to experience before in my playing career.
"But I'm a believer that everything happens for a reason. I was coming off a championship -- the highest of highs. The cover of [NBA] 2K, a new contract. Then that happened. Whatever the reason is, I haven't figured out yet. But I am a believer that everything happens for a reason," he said. "It was a good experience. We won a gold medal, my second one. I was around some of the best players in the game on a daily basis and built some friendships. I was able to bring my family out there and enjoy the Olympics as a whole. That was a plus for me."
Tatum has heard a lot of criticism since Boston won the title, which started during the team's postseason run as he struggled to find his shot on a consistent basis. According to a story by ESPNs Ramona Shelboure, Tatum has been doing two-a-day sessions with his skills coach Drew Hanlen and physical therapist Nick Sang to "address a mechanical issue in his jumper."
Of course, Tatum is plenty motivated to go out and win another NBA title.
Jaylen Brown laughs at an Olympic snub question
When Kawhi Leonard backed out of the Olympics, many believed that the Brown (fresh off NBA Finals MVP honors) would replace him on the roster. But the Team USA braintrust didn't feel that way, and went with Derrick White over Brown.
A freshly-shaven Brown took the podium on Tuesday and was hit with a question about the Olympics right off the bat.
"G***amn, question number one," Brown questioned with a hearty laugh. "We don't want to warm up a little? [Shoot]."
Brown said that he's "extremely motivated for obvious reasons" heading into the 2024-25 season, though he didn't elaborate any further. He added that he's "worked on everything" and is feeling the best he's ever felt.
"I'm ready to go and excited about being back. The past is the past," said Brown. "I'm ready to get after it and lead our guys. Not skip any steps and set the tone for another year."
Winning a title obviously led to a great summer for Brown, who said that he worked harder than he ever has over the offseason.
"Winning a championship was something I've manifested for a long time," Brown said ahead of his ninth NBA season. "Ultimately it made my joy a lot different. When you lose, it's hard. We got close, but my heart was broken every single year. ... I had six heartbreaks before I got to feel what it was like to win. This summer, my heart wasn't broken."
And while he would have loved to have been in Paris and contributed to another championship, Brown said that one of the things that brought him great joy over the summer was "watching my teammates win a gold medal."
Al Horford backs Tatum, Brown and calls out Team USA
Veteran Al Horford took aim at Team USA in Shelbourne's article on ESPN, and added that he's feeling motivated by Tatum's sporadic playing time and Brown's snub.
"I personally was not happy about it," Horford told ESPN. "Those guys, they're very special to me. And even though it was nothing against me, it motivated me and all of us for this season."
