"He probably thinks he's on the same level as KD and Tatum and LeBron" - Bill Simmons on why the Jaylen Brown snub makes sense

A minor drama struck Team USA when USA Basketball announced Kawhi Leonard's withdrawal from the team and that Derrick White would replace the Los Angeles Clippers star on the roster. That didn't sit well with some folks, notably Jaylen Brown .

The reigning Finals MVP's words and actions seem to point to his unhappiness about apparently being snubbed from the squad — even if his Boston Celtics teammate got the nod. Bill Simmons discussed the issue on a recent podcast episode, noting that the powers that be made the right call.

"You don't really have minutes for Jaylen Brown, who just won the Finals MVP," said Simmons. "He was just on a title team, and now you're going to add him to this team last minute because Kawhi gets shut down, and he's not going to play, and that's gonna go good from a chemistry standpoint? It's not."

White over Brown for the chemistry

According to the longtime Celtics superfan, bringing in White , a possible glue guy who would likely have no qualms playing less than 10 minutes per game, made sense. He seemed to have insinuated that Brown not being one of Team USA's main guys could bruise the three-time All-Star's ego.

"The White pick was a chemistry pick; that's it," Simmons added . "White's not gonna care if he doesn't play or not. Jaylen Brown not playing is a little bit different. It's a little bit embarrassing. He probably thinks he's on the same level as KD (Kevin Durant) and [Jayson] Tatum and LeBron [James] at this point, and he might not be wrong. But to me, it made sense not to have him because it brings up all the chemistry stuff that you wanna avoid."

Could Team USA have just chosen to avoid the drama and tapped Brown instead? Probably so. After all, he has proven capable of playing different positions and guarding any opponent, from point guards to power forwards. Moreover, he is more similar to Leonard than White is.

Some might counterargue, though, that Nike, the official outfitter of the U.S. men's national basketball team, decided to brush Brown off.

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What now of the Celtics' chemistry?

White proved in Team USA's concerning win over South Sudan in the recently concluded USAB Showcase that what he brings to the table shouldn't be overlooked. He had the highest plus-minus among the squad's reserves, recorded five assists in the second half, and made the game-saving block.

One might say that Brown should be happy for his teammate showing up for the Red, White, and Blue. While he probably is, his latest statement about the snub might be concerning for the Celtics organization and its fans.

Simmons noted that prior to Boston's successful championship run last season, one of the team's defining characteristics was its selflessness. Expressing displeasure for not making the cut at White's expense could lead to friction within the franchise moving forward, making the tough task of defending an NBA title even harder.

Of course, folks like Bill could just be overthinking it. Perhaps JB has already put the snub behind him and is silently rallying behind his buddies playing for the country, namely Tatum, White, and Jrue Holiday. Folks will just have to wait for what happens in the 2024-25 campaign.

Related: Rasheed Wallace suggests Joel Embiid focus on the Sixers, not Team USA: "This NBA title is more important than getting that gold medal"