People are still talking about the Team USA benching of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but for him, it was always about winning the gold and not how satisfied he was with his playing time.
Via Joe Vardon of The Athletic:
“I keep trying to say, I’m trying not to make it about me, all the storylines over the last few days — we won,” Tatum said after the Americans’ 98-87 triumph over France, in which Tatum did play and contributed two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. “We won a gold medal, and that was most important.”
Tatum did not play in two games in Paris, both against Nikola Jokic and Serbia. Team USA won both games, but in the rematch in the semifinal round, the Americans nearly got eliminated by the European powerhouse. Had Team USA lost that contest and failed to advance to the gold medal game, head coach Steve Kerr would have likely been inundated with even more criticism about his usage of the Boston Celtics forward.
In four games in Paris, Tatum averaged just 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while connecting on only 38.1 percent from the field. In any case, he is now a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Now, Tatum will take some rest this summer before turning his full attention to preparation for the Celtics’ title defense in the 2024-25 NBA season.
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