Jayson Tatum's Dad: Celtics Star 'Wasn't Good with Not Playing' on Kerr's USA Roster
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured Columnist IVNovember 6, 2024
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum "wasn't good with not playing" while representing Team USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics, according to his father.
"I was OK with it if it made sense. If it made sense not to play him like a matchup," Justin Tatum said to Andscape's Marc J. Spears. "But if you can't find time for him or whatever [USA head coach] Steve Kerr said. That don't make too much sense. [Jayson] had a long season and a long summer and I just wanted to make sure he was healthy. [...]
"He wasn't good with not playing. But he wasn't in the room pouting or throwing chairs around or it was a topic of conversation at dinner. He said he could've stayed with his family, stayed home or done this, which is true. But he was happy to be out there winning the gold and he never really played with LeBron [James], Steph [Curry] or KD [Kevin Durant]. Being around those guys was a great experience and the main thing we were talking about."
Celtics star Jaylen Brown previously described his teammate as "pissed" as well when commenting on the matter in an October appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Tatum's playing time was one of the biggest subplots surrounding the United States in Paris. He was coming off an NBA title run with the Celtics and a third straight first-team All-NBA nod, yet he logged the second-fewest minutes on the team and didn't play whatsoever in two of the six games.
The Celtics might be somewhat thankful for how Kerr utilized the 6'8" forward. Through eight games, he's averaging 30.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists, and Boston is off to a 7-1 start as it attempts to successfully defend its championship.
It sure looks like Tatum has chip on his shoulder based on what unfolded during the Paris Games.
The Olympics have briefly become a storyline again with the Celtics hosting Kerr and the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. It seems unlikely that Tatum will be directly confrontational toward the Warriors coach at TD Garden. He'll just let his performance do the talking.
