While LeBron James' high IQ on both ends of the floor and Stephen Curry's god-esque shooting in the final two games were noteworthy, the most contentious issue surrounding Team USA at the Paris Olympics was Jayson Tatum 's limited playing time.
Despite heading into the Olympics after leading the Boston Celtics to their first title in almost two decades, 'Taco Jay' found himself getting limited opportunities by coach Steve Kerr. Jeff Teague mentioned that considering this treatment of arguably the best young player in the NBA, Boston Celtics fans should be thankful to USA Basketball.
Teague on how Tatum was made to feel
Considering Jaylen Brown was snubbed for selection after being the reigning Finals MVP despite Kawhi Leonard being sidelined, coupled with JT's playing time restricted to 11.6 minutes throughout the Paris Olympics, Teague believes the latter felt disrespected for him and his co-star.
"Jayson Tatum, bro, he's done with the Olympics. They just ruined everything for the NBA now, the USA team did... Now you tell Jayson Tatum that he is the worst player out of all the elites," Teague said . "The only player to make the All-NBA First team, the rest others were all Europeans and ya'll telling me I can't compete against Serbia... He couldn't get him five minutes? I'm never gonna be okay with that. But if you're Boston Celtics fans, ya'll should be thanking USA basketball."
However, the one-time All-Star suggested that Celtics fans should thank USA Basketball for treating their marquee duo so harshly. From Teague's point of view, this biased treatment will only motivate Brown and Tatum to perform at an even higher work rate to help the C's defend their title and shut down those who disrespected them throughout the summer.
Related: "You could just feel it, the lack of respect" - Alonzo Mourning on the tense environment in the gold medal game against France in the 2000 Olympics
Did Tatum perform well during his minutes on the court?
One should keep in mind that the five-time All-Star was named to the All-NBA First Team after averaging 26.9 points and also led in scoring during both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, which undoubtedly highlights how JT has an exceptional season.
However, Jayson could not replicate this intensity with Team USA when provided with heavy minutes on the court. The Duke product averaged only 7.0 points on 47.2% shooting during the two group-stage games.
In the knockout contest against Brazil, Tatum scored just five points on 20% shooting, underscoring his inability to find offensive rhythm or effectively create space off the ball. Furthermore, even in the gold medal game against France, JT recorded merely 2 points in 11 minutes after shooting 20% from the field and finishing with a plus-minus rating of -5.
So, while coach Kerr has faced blatant criticism for not giving Jayson more minutes, it is also true that the Celtics star did not capitalize on the limited opportunities as effectively as other young stars like Devin Booker or Anthony Edwards. Therefore, while the concerns regarding his playing time are understandable, Tatum did not fully perform to his potential.
Related: "Just Celtic hate, good old Celtic hate" - Paul Pierce believes there is a deeper reason for Steve Kerr benching Jayson Tatum
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