The entire world is on notice with the FIBA World Cup just a few weeks away. The entire NBA was just put on notice with the assertion by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum that they are looking to break out for Team USA.
As information keeps leaking out about Team USA basketball ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, it keeps getting better and better for fans of the Boston Celtics. It has been known that Team USA will feature four members of the Boston Celtics, with Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum choosing to represent a national team that has been spurned by many of the league’s best players.
What just became public knowledge, however, is that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are going to be honoring some of the greatest legends in the history of the Boston Celtics franchise. Tatum will be honoring a player he has (in some capacity) modeled his game after in Paul Pierce. Trading in his usual #0, Tatum will be sporting the #34 in China.
Brown on the other hand, will be wearing the #33. Of course, this is the number made famous by the greatest Boston Celtics player of all time: Larry Bird.
There is simply no way these two will be heading to China to lay an egg while wearing Bird and Pierce’s numbers. If anything, the entire world should fear the Boston Celtics duo, who figure to be some of the main rotational pieces on Team USA.
It isn’t currently clear what kind of rotation Team USA will have. There is a chance the second unit consists of a Tatum, Brown and Kemba Walker trio. With Walker already having years of accolades behind him, he will most likely look to make the duo look good. There’s a good chance Tatum and Brown will be doing plenty of that themselves.
Just imagining all of the easy alley-oops Walker will be setting up his Celtics teammates for is every reason to tune in for Team USA basketball this year. While it is a formality that the United States will likely win gold in China, the journey is always the reward.
This year, the reward will be watching Tatum and Brown prove worthy of the numbers on the back of their jerseys. When the season rolls around, Boston’s top two draft selections of the last decade will be armed with invaluable Team USA experience.
While Walker has mentioned learning how to win from his teammates, Walker will be winning with his teammates for his country. In doing so the Boston Celtics will be more ready than all of the NBA stars who stayed home.