Kawhi Leonard’s exit from the Team USA roster because of a right knee inflammation opened the door for another player to take his place. That player turned out to be Boston Celtics star Derrick White, who contributed to the franchise’s win only about a month ago. However, the fact that he was chosen over his Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown did not sit well with Brown or with NBA fans. This robbed the opportunity for a potential team-up between Brown and Jayson Tatum on the international stage. However, if one were to listen to the wisdom of a former NBA veteran, then Tatum himself should not be a part of the main lineup.

With just one week left until the 2024 Paris Olympics commence, Patrick Beverley chooses not to put his full confidence in Jayson Tatum. In a recent segment of his long-running podcast, the former player was asked about his “ideal starting lineup” going into the main games. The 36-year-old proceeded to name Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Edwards. Co-host Adam Ferrone was surprised that his partner did not choose to place Jayson Tatum in the starting 5. However, Beverley stayed firm with his decision. Even though he may choose to consider Jayson Tatum as an efficient player, he has his reasons for putting Edwards over him.

“I mean, it’s not wild. They built a team, the best team. And sometimes you built the best team, you might be the best player, but you might not fit into that,” said Beverley.

Grant Hill, former NBA player and Team USA’s managing director gave a somewhat similar response when discussing why Jaylen Brown was snubbed over Derrick White during the Team USA selection. In a statement, he highlighted how, even though he would have chosen to add the player he is a fan of, he had to “put together a team and a team that complements each other.”

However, while Hill believes that players like White and Tatum fit in under this reasoning, Patrick Beverley does not think so about the latter. Having been his on-court for more than half a decade, along with being the rival of the members of his dream starting lineup, the former player may have concluded that the Celtics star should not be prioritized over the other star players.

If anyone needs to connect with Patrick Beverley’s point, all they need to do is look at Tatum’s performance during the recent close game against South Sudan. During his 16 minutes on the court, the player could only manage to drop a score of 9 points. A major reason for this was the player fumbling with his shooting skills, going 3-8 with his field goals, and 0-3 with his three-pointers. In comparison, LeBron James scored 23 points in 23 minutes, Stephen Curry came up with 12 in 23 minutes, Anthony Edwards with 11, and Anthony Davis with 15. While the Celtics star came out on top during the first game against Canada, it has been proven that his playtime may get overshadowed by the other stars. In such a case, the alleged tension between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would have been for nothing.

Skip Bayless believes that Nike and Team USA selection caused issues between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are two tough competitors belonging to the same NBA franchise. Therefore, it wouldn’t be rare for narratives to rise, questioning whether any tension existed between the duo. Examples of the same took place when Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP titles. Now, with the recent snub, controversial host Skip Bayless puts out his narrative.

During a recent segment of his ‘Undisputed’ show, the 72-year-old proceeded to highlight that “[Tatum] is a big Nike guy who just came out with his signature shoe. … This smacks of, it smells like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen [Brown] just don’t really get along. It feels like to me he [Tatum] is saying, ‘Hey, I just need a break. I don’t have to live with him for another month so closely when we go to Paris. I just don’t wanna do this.’”

Bayless’s reasoning comes after Jayson Tatum seemed to be reportedly awkward when asked about the Jaylen Brown snub. The 2024 Finals MVP himself chose to bring Nike after Derrick White’s selection, making his thoughts known via social media. However, the fact that the billion-dollar brand may have allegedly acted as a catalyst in Brown and Tatum’s supposed separation may be far-fetched.