Fresh off a championship win with the Celtics, Jayson Tatum was expected to dominate the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this summer. Instead, while Team USA did win the gold, he was on the edge of the rotation and admitted on Thursday that he had trouble getting into a rhythm.
“I wasn’t moping around. I didn’t have an attitude. I wasn’t angry at the world. I stayed ready and did what was asked of me and I won a gold medal, right? I know I didn’t make a jump shot when I was with Team USA. I don’t know, law of averages,” said Tatum via The New York Times. “It’s a weird rhythm thing being with Team USA; you never exactly know when you’re gonna get the ball. But that’s part of it. You sign up for that because I’ve done it before (at the Tokyo Games).”
Tatum has been on a major cold streak since the NBA playoffs began back in April and it carried over into the Olympics this summer. He was fully healthy for the tournament but struggled to hit shots and missed every jumper he took. It was a tough showing for the young superstar and far from what he expected.
Of course, Tatum (26) has more Olympic experience than most. Besides helping the USA this year, he also participated in the tournament back in 2020. Tatum was the third-leading scorer with an average of 13.7 points per game to help Team USA secure its 16th gold medal.
After seven seasons and multiple deep playoff runs, Tatum was in a prime position to take charge of the basketball Olympics this year but he was never really given the chance to succeed and his performance was anemic, at best.
The Celtics star was the only player to get two DNPs by coach Kerr, including in the crucial game against Nikola Jokic and Serbia. Tatum also received the second-fewest minutes of any USA participant, averaging just 17.7 minutes in six games. When he was on the court, Tatum was a shell of himself. He averaged just 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game for the entire tournament.
Between the lack of consistent playing time and his role as a backup to Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, it’s no wonder why Tatum couldn’t find his shot and it’s no wonder why multiple voices in the NBA community have condemned Team USA for how they handled the whole situation.
However, despite the borderline disrespectful treatment throughout the Olympic Games, Tatum never complained about his situation. He kept his head down, embraced his role, and was all smiles as Team USA captured the gold medal.
With the Olympics over and the summer nearly passed, Tatum is already shifting his focus to the 2024-25 campaign. He’ll be looking to prove himself after a subpar postseason and as one of the best young forwards in the NBA, there’s a good chance that he’ll rediscover his shot and torch his opponents like he has for the past seven years.
Either way, Tatum has no regrets over his commitment to Team USA, and as a 2x gold medalist, he will surely be invited to the next Olympics in Los Angeles for 2028. By then, he might also be a multiple-time champion with the Boston Celtics.
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