During the 2023 FIBA World Cup, it was Anthony Edwards who returned to the NBA as a different player. Sure, Ant-Man was already on the rise when he played in the World Cup, but he was definitely a different animal during the 2023-24 NBA campaign.
As the 12 players on Team USA are set to return to their respective teams, it will be interesting to see which one of them will benefit the most from their Olympic experience and have a significant jump like Ant-Man had last season.
For Kendrick Perkins , that player is Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum , whom many thought didn't get the playing time that he deserved under Steve Kerr.
"I know this may sound crazy, especially for a guy that's just fresh off winning his first NBA championship, the highest-paid player in the NBA, a guy that has been first-team All-NBA several times now, I'm going with Jayson Tatum," said Perkins. "Look, he's a gold medalist, and congratulations. But we know the highs, the lows that he went through over there in Paris. We saw his momma, his mother, she was frustrated with his lack of playing time."
Big Perk sees an MVP year for JT
Despite being the only All-NBA first-team member on Team USA, Jayson played the second-fewest minutes on the team with two DNPs. While Tatum did not complain, his mother was more upfront, telling reporters that Kerr's decision to bench his son was unacceptable and made no sense .
That rough Olympic experience, per Big Perk, was a humbling one for Tatum. And because of that, he's going to come out with a mission next season. Perk even believes that JT is going to have a breakout season, and one where he wins MVP honors.
"This is a guy that averaged 30 in the league a couple of seasons ago," added Perkins. "He averaged right around 27, 28 points per game last season and an NBA champion. This is Jayson Tatum, in my opinion, a Top 10 player in the league. He's gonna come out standing on business."
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
Tatum was having a great summer until Paris
Heading to his Team USA stint, Tatum was coming off what was perhaps the best year of his career. Although it was Jaylen Brown who won ECF and NBA Finals MVP honors, Jayson led Boston to the 2024 NBA championship while being named to the All-NBA first team for the third straight year. After the season, Tatum signed the largest contract in NBA history to return to the Celtics.
However, in the Paris Olympics, JT was one of the odd men out in Kerr's lineup. He played a total of 71 minutes in Team USA's six games and was benched in their two games against Serbia. Tatum finished the tournament averaging just 5.3 points per game while shooting just 38.1% from the field, the lowest on the team.
But Jayson's Olympic "nightmare" is now over. He is set to return to the Celtics, the favorites to repeat as champions. With his partner Jaylen also having a chip on his shoulder after his Team USA snub, the Jays should be fired up to defend their title. Joe Mazzulla should thank Team USA and Steve for saving him the time and effort to motivate his stars after a title-winning campaign.
Related: "He has put the stamp on being the greatest Olympian" - Bam gives KD his flowers for another incredible Olympic stint
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