Although he did not win the NBA Finals MVP award, this season was supposed to mark a definitive shift in how 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 sport today should be undeniable.
But that is 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 befuddling decision by calling the situation “a math problem” that cannot be easily solved based on the number and type of stars on the roster.
Tatum struggled offensively when on the court, to be clear, but the benefit of having a versatile talent like the three-time All-NBA First-Team selection is that he can contribute in a variety of ways. It should theoretically be much easier to allocate minutes to a player of his caliber than Kerr made it out to be.
Whether or not one thinks Tatum was disrespected, they should acknowledge the brutal set of circumstances he found himself in during the Summer Games. Carmelo Anthony is thoroughly impressed by the mental fortitude the 26-year-old exhibited in front of the basketball-watching world and praised him in an NSFW excerpt from his podcast.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum got dealt a tough hand in Paris
“I want these young athletes out here to know s**t is real out here,” he said on “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero,” presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
“This is somebody who we done cheered for. This man has one of the best resumes over the four or five years out of any player in any sport, right? What he went through, I want everybody to see that s**t. That s**t hurt to go through that on national, and the world [stage]. So I literally take my hat off to him [Jayson Tatum] because he was resilient. He stood there and the world knows that he’s f*****g pissed…That’s a different energy, that’s a different focus and a different understanding of what’s happening.”
Tatum continues to be tied to this never-ending adversity narrative. It is one thing for it to occur in the NBA, considering his shot did regress in the NBA Finals, but there should be no dark cloud hanging above him at the Olympics. He was not merely being passed over by legends like LeBron James or Kevin Durant. A contemporary in Devin Booker and a younger star in Anthony Edwards were both handed bigger responsibilities.
Those two weeks in Paris should have been the cherry on top of a career-defining year for Jayson Tatum. Instead, he is burdened with even more scrutiny. One of the most important members of the Team USA iteration that won gold in Tokyo averaged less than 18 minutes per contest at the 2024 Games.
Tatum's benching could be a nightmare for the rest of the NBA
Tatum's perseverance paid off this past season with the Celtics and could again serve as a major theme during the 2024-25 campaign. Carmelo Anthony himself has tasted a slice or two of humble pie at the Olympics and understands how easy it is to grow frustrated by such a situation.
“You flip that on me and go back to ‘04 and the camera pans to me and I’m sick over there [on the bench],” the 10-time NBA All-Star and three-time gold medalist said. “I’m not aware, I’m just like ‘yo why am I not playing.’ I’m looking at what’s in front of us, not understanding, taking my time.”
Jayson Tatum is several years older than Anthony was during the Athens Olympics and should hopefully have the experience and maturity to rise above this unforeseen challenge. Steve Kerr might have just done him and the Celtics a massive favor.
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