Following the win over South Sudan on Wednesday, Celtics star Jayson Tatum opened up on his thoughts about being benched in the first game against Serbia. Unsurprisingly, the young swingman admitted that he didn’t see it coming and described the experience as “humbling.”
“It’s a unique situation, and it’s not about one individual player, the competitor in you wants to play obviously, but I’m not here to make a story about myself,” Tatum said, via Basket News. “You win a championship, new contract, NBA 2K25 cover, Sports Illustrated… so after all of this, it’s definitely a humbling experience. We won; I was just glad to get back out there and play again, as there was a lot of chatter over the last few days.”
When Team USA brings together the game’s top players, it can often be an adjustment for them to learn how to sacrifice their own game to maximize their work as a team. In the case of Jayson Tatum, it meant being content to sit on the sidelines as his teammates did all the work. The results have been undeniable so far (Team USA is 2-0) but not everyone agrees with their tactics.
Tatum, 26, is fresh off a championship run with the Boston Celtics, where he averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game on 47.1% shooting. As a 5x All-Star, 4x All-NBA player, the cover athlete of NBA 2K25, and a featured Sports Illustrated athlete, Tatum is arguably one of the most accomplished players on the Team USA roster this summer.
When he got the call to join Team USA this summer, over his teammate Jaylen Brown, Tatum counted it as another achievement to his record. What he didn’t foresee was not playing a single minute in the tournament opener against Serbia.
With Kevin Durant and LeBron James going off, Kerr couldn’t find minutes for Tatum and his DNP became the story of the night. But after some pressure from the media and several Hall of Famers, Kerr committed to giving Tatum a bigger role and he even started Wednesday’s game against South Sudan.
Sadly, with just 4 points in 17 minutes, Tatum did not make a good case for a bigger role moving forward but as the main star of the NBA championship team this year, he has more than earned the benefit of the doubt and he should never have been kept from the floor.
Moving forward, it remains to be seen how Tatum’s role will change over time but it may not matter if Tatum keeps his ego in check. After watching his Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown win the Finals MVP this year, Tatum already got his moment of humility and he learned to embrace it.
On Team USA, it must be difficult for Tatum to feel so expendable but he may be necessary to capture the gold this year. Between LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, Team USA has a lot of aging veterans and Tatum’s presence gives them a pair of fresh legs to avoid falling behind.
Now, it’s up to Steve Kerr to decide his role and determine when is the best time to bring out the 26-year-old sharpshooter. In the right situation, he could make the difference between winning and losing in this Olympic tournament.
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