Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum has had a ridiculous summer. Tatum won his first NBA title in June with the Celtics, then won an Olympic Gold Medal in August with Team USA.

Tatum, who's lack of playing time at the Olympics made headlines, was asked about his experience at the Olympics in an interview with his hometown paper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday.

“It's been a crazy summer,” Tatum said. “I'm fortunate enough to win my second Gold Medal with the national team. That was a hell of an experience.”

“And finally winning an NBA championship, something that we've been working for for a very very long time,” Tatum continued. “We've gotten extremely close a few times. Finally got over the hump. That was special, that felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders.”

Instead of directly addressing his lack of playing time, Tatum instead appeared to take the high road and discuss his experience at the Olympics more broadly and from a team perspective, focusing on the fact that Team USA won a Gold Medal.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr was widely questioned for his decision to bench Tatum, who played the second-fewest minutes on the team after Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. However, Tatum had been struggling, especially with his perimeter shooting. Through all of his appearances in the Olympics and Team USA's exhibitions, Tatum was 0-16 on jump shots.

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What's Next for Jayson Tatum

United States small forward Jayson Tatum (10) dribbles against Puerto Rico shooting guard Davon Reed (9) during the first quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
© John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Tatum barely had any time to rest and recover between the conclusion of the NBA Finals and the start of training before the Olympics. Even though he may not have played as big of a role as he hoped for with Team USA, now, he was still participating in practices every day and had a chaotic travel schedule. Now, Tatum should just be making sure he's ready for the start of Celtics training camp on Sept. 25.

Because of his disappointing Olympic performance, fans may forget how important Tatum is to the Celtics and how incredible of a season he had last year. The five-time All-Star averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 37.6% from three.

It doesn't seem like Tatum is dwelling on his lack of playing time at the Olympics. That is a great sign for the Celtics, who hope to have their star forward playing at his best as they attempt to defend their title during the 2024-25 season.