Jayson Tatum‘s limited playing time was a big topic of discussion during the 2024 Olympics. Coming off of an NBA championship win with the Celtics, Tatum joined Team USA to win his second gold medal. But Team USA head coach Steve Kerr didn’t play him much. And as Jrue Holiday told Paul George on the latter’s ‘Podcast P’, it was a little confusing to him to see his Celtics teammate relegated to a bench role.
“It is definitely hard to see because you want the best for your men. I want them to be able to play as many minutes, do all that, and win all the accolades. At the same time, I feel like they were as professional as could be. JT, the way he handled it like a professional, he never brought it into the locker room.”
“We talked about it, but it was never an issue. We all love each other, so it was never an issue amongst us. Was it weird? Yeah. That’s Jayson Tatum. He’s a top 5 player in the league, and just won a championship. One of the best players in the playoffs and in the Finals. When it was happening, yeah you feel for him. You could see he was upset, he wanted to play. He wasn’t pouting.”
https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1863696960961564729
Clearly, there were players on the team who felt as though Tatum should have been playing. And yes, while he did have superstars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant ahead of him in the pecking order, Steve Kerr should have found a way to get him more involved with the team.
It all worked out in the end, as Team USA would end up winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Tatum still walked away with his first gold medal, despite not getting to play big minutes.
Jayson Tatum Hoping For Championship Redemption
Jayson Tatum will be ready to prove himself this season after being slighted at the Paris Olympics. And the best way to prove the critics wrong would be to continue his success in the NBA. He won his first NBA championship last season and will be looking for another championship win this season.
Tatum has started the season strong, averaging 29.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field, 38.1% from beyond the arc, and 80.1% from the free-throw line. The Celtics have looked strong so far, holding the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 17-4 record.
Tatum is going to be crucial for the Celtics’ NBA championship campaign. He is by far one of their best players. And if he can sustain this level of performance in the playoffs, the Celtics will be one of the strongest teams in the East, and possibly make a run to the NBA Finals.
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