Jayson Tatum’s recent substitution at the Olympics, which occurred during the U.S. national team’s nerve-wracking 95-91 win over Serbia in the semifinals, sparked outrage among outsiders at head coach Steve Kerr – and rightly so.
From Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy to Tatum’s mother Brandy Cole, nearly everyone who tuned in and saw the U.S. overcome a 17-point deficit had the same reaction: Why did Kerr refuse to let Tatum play? In the third quarter, the U.S. team’s defense collapsed against Nikola Jokić and the Serbian team, while Kerr kept Tatum on the bench instead of giving the NBA’s highest-paid player ($313 million) a chance to shine.
This even caught the attention of Tatum’s former Celtics teammate Jeff Teague.
“If you’re a Boston Celtics fan, you should thank USA Basketball,” Teague said on the “Club 520 Podcast.” “Because now you all have another championship coming your way.”
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Tatum has battled through outside criticism, been shamed for his scoring, and failed to win MVP honors in either the Eastern Conference Finals or the NBA Finals, giving Boston its 18th title. That alone should earn Tatum the respect of getting regular playing time for Team USA, even if he’s on the bench. Tatum can score, rebound, defend and assist, and it’s especially questionable to see the 26-year-old play as a reserve at the Olympics when Kerr’s coaching nearly backfired. While the U.S. is loaded with talent from top to bottom, the team hasn’t consistently played at par, making the gold medal game against France a must-win.
“(Tatum is probably thinking) ‘I’m First Team All-NBA, bro, and I’m sitting on the bench. I just won a chip, First Team All-NBA, I’m having the best year of my life. Then I go to the Olympics, bro, and y’all tell me I’m the weakest on the team,'” Teague said. “… He’s going to be on a mission, bro. Y’all know I have the inside information, he’s going to be on a mission.”
Regardless of whether Tatum plays in this do-or-die matchup, the five-time All-Star will see plenty of playing time for the Celtics once the regular season begins in October.
