Although he didn’t win the NBA Finals MVP award, this season was supposed to mark a definitive change in the way Jayson Tatum is perceived by the public. He finally celebrated a championship and did so after leading the Boston Celtics in points, rebounds and assists during the playoffs. His status as one of the best players in the game today should be undeniable.
But that’s not how he was treated at the Paris Olympics. Team USA head coach Steve Kerr kept Tatum on the bench for much of the action, explaining the puzzling decision by calling the situation “a math problem” which cannot be easily resolved based on the number and type of stars on the list.
Tatum has struggled to establish himself on the court, to be sure, but the advantage of having a versatile talent like a three-time All-NBA First Team selection is that he can contribute in a variety of ways. It should theoretically be a lot easier to give minutes to a player of his caliber than Kerr has let on.
Whether or not one believes Tatum was disrespected, one must acknowledge the brutality of the circumstances he found himself in during the Summer Games. Carmelo Anthony is completely impressed for the mental strength the 26-year-old showed in front of the basketball world and praised him in a NSFW clip from his podcast.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum struggled in Paris
“I want these young athletes to know that shit is real out here,” he said on “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero,” presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
“He’s someone we’ve been rooting for. This guy has one of the best four- or five-year resumes of any player in any sport, right? What he’s been through, I want everybody to see. It hurts to go through that on a national and global level. [stage]. So I literally take my hat off to him. [Jayson Tatum] “Because he was resilient. He was there and the world knows he was really angry… It’s a different energy, it’s a different focus and a different understanding of what’s going on.”
Tatum continues to be linked to this story of endless adversity. It’s one thing for it to happen in the NBA, given his shooting regressed in the NBA Finals, but there shouldn’t be a dark cloud over his head in the Olympics. He wasn’t simply overlooked by legends like LeBron James or Kevin Durant. A contemporary in Devin Booker and a young star in Anthony Edwards were given greater responsibility.
These two weeks in Paris should have been the cherry on top of a career-defining year for Jayson Tatum. Instead, he’s facing even more scrutiny. One of the most important members of the U.S. team that won gold in Tokyo is averaging fewer than 18 minutes per bout at the 2024 Games.
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Tatum’s persistence paid off last season with the Celtics and could serve as a major theme again in the 2024-25 campaign. Carmelo Anthony himself has had a taste or two of humility at the Olympics and understands how easy it is to get frustrated by such a situation.
“You turn that around and you go back to 2004 and the camera pans to me and I’m sick there. [on the bench]”, the 10-time NBA All-Star and triple gold medalist “I’m not conscious, I just think: ‘Why don’t I play?’ I look at what’s in front of us, I don’t understand, I take my time.”
Jayson Tatum is several years older than Anthony was at the Athens Olympics and should have the experience and maturity to handle this unexpected challenge. Steve Kerr may have just done him and the Celtics a huge favor.
