Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum admitted that the 2024 Paris Summer time Olympics have been a humiliating expertise for the NBA’s highest-paid participant of all time ($315 million). Nevertheless, the 27-year-old wasn’t alone as soon as head coach Joe Mazzulla dropped every little thing and rushed to verify on the underutilized five-time All-Star.
“Even when Tatum was struggling through the Olympics, Mazzulla went to France to verify every little thing was going effectively,” The Ringer’s Invoice Simmons stated on “The Invoice Simmons Podcast.” “This man is pushed, he is aware of his staff. I believe the soar he comprised of 12 months one to 12 months two was astounding. Folks love this man.”
Tatum, together with Celtics teammates Jrue Vacation and Derrick White, joined USA Basketball’s ultra-talented roster, headlined by LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. However regardless of profitable the NBA Finals simply over a month in the past, Tatum hasn’t been handled just like the established star he has been lately. Group USA head coach Steve Kerr let Tatum file two DNPs, together with one in a near-miss towards Nikola Jokić and Group Serbia. Kerr did not present an in depth clarification for Tatum’s lack of utilization, leaving him handled as an unworthy backup overshadowed by the NBA’s brightest stars — a lot of whom aren’t any greater in rank than Tatum.
“It was a troublesome private expertise on the court docket, however I’m not going to decide primarily based on my feelings,” Tatum stated after america’ gold medal win over France, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “In the event you have been to ask me now if I used to be going to play in 2028, that’s 4 years away and I’d need to take a while to consider it. So I’m not going to decide primarily based on what I’ve skilled or how I’ve felt individually.”
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Tatum averaged 5.3 factors, 1.3 assists and one steal, logging 17.7 minutes of play all through the Olympics, taking pictures 0-of-16 from the soar, which additionally included a clumsy three-point try that ricocheted off the facet of the backboard towards South Sudan. It’s straightforward to level the finger at Tatum for the taking pictures droop, however it’s even simpler to level to Kerr’s poor teaching that amplified the strain of the Olympic stage on Tatum’s shoulders. Kerr’s poor rotations — Tatum apart — threatened USA Basketball’s bid for gold or chapter, main the overrated NBA head coach to retire from the Olympics.
Clearly, Mazzulla’s loyalty is aware of no bounds, whether or not it is through the common season, the playoffs, the offseason or greater than 3,400 miles away in Boston on the Paris Olympics.
