Lou Williams wonders if there’s a ‘conspiracy’ going on against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Former NBA guard Lou Williams wondered if there is a conspiracy theory going on against Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

“Is there a conspiracy theory going on against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, bro?” Williams asked. “I really want to know ’cause I’m trying to wrap my head around this whole concept of Jaylen Brown not being on that team (Team USA). I’m trying to wrap my mind around the league trying to pit them against each other when they’ve never done that to two superstars.”

Williams’ comments were met with agreement, and he went further into questioning why Tatum didn’t get minutes for Team USA in certain games during the 2024 Olympics.

“And now you got JT not getting minutes,” Williams said.

Tatum was benched by Team USA head coach Steve Kerr in both of the matchups against Nikola Jokic and Serbia. Team USA won both meetings – the first by 26 points and the second by just four points in the semifinals.

Brown, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, was left off the team completely, and when Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was replaced on the roster, another Celtic, Derrick White was chosen instead of Brown.

It’s certainly strange how things have gone for the Celtics and their two stars this offseason, especially after they won an NBA title.

Boston finished the 2023-24 season with the best record in the NBA, and it rolled through the playoffs, losing just three games on its way to an NBA title. Boston dropped just one game against Miami (first round), one game against Cleveland (second round) and one game against Dallas in the NBA Finals. The Celtics needed just four games in the Eastern Conference Finals to get past the Indiana Pacers.

Tatum was an All-NBA selection once again in the 2023-24 season, but he didn’t seem to be one of the players that Team USA planned its attack around during the Olympics. Instead, older stars like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and LeBron James led the way to the gold medal.

All three of those veterans played extremely well, but Tatum’s lack of playing time was a hot topic throughout Team USA’s Olympic run.

Celtics fans are hoping that Tatum and Brown can use some of the disrespect that they’ve gotten this offseason as fuel to chase another NBA title in the 2024-25 campaign.