2024 NBA champion, the Boston Celtics' scoring leader, and a spot on the All-NBA First Team last season. But even that couldn't help Jayson Tatum land a starting position on Team USA's Olympic squad. The United States roster was loaded with some of the top talents in the NBA, but head coach Steve Kerr's decision to keep Tatum on the bench in most of the games raised some eyebrows.
Criticism wasn't far behind, with even former Team USA gold medalist Carmelo Anthony weighing in on his show, discussing the Boston star's role as one of the last guys off the bench.
"I'm cool with you saying he's not going to play; just be honest," Melo said on "7pm in Brooklyn." "This is where we have a lack of communication because we've been in Vegas this whole time… you already know where you see me at on this depth chart. Have this talk with me private let me get myself together. Mentally and emotionally…"
He added: "So because you looked at Tatum as the ninth, tenth, eleventh guy… communicate that with me… let's have this conversation don't do me like that if I'm Tatum, I would be pissed."
The bench role
Tatum had a tough go at the Olympics, starting with him not even playing in the opening game and seeing little action during pool play. In the quarterfinals against Brazil, he was the 11th man, and by the time the semifinals rolled around, he had logged a DNP against Serbia.
The semifinal game was a nail-biter. Team USA was down by 17 points at one point, a time when Coach Kerr was expected to look to Tatum, the only All-NBA First Team member on the squad. But instead, Kerr stuck with Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, and Tatum's teammate Derrick White as the other options.
Steph Curry , LeBron James , and Joel Embiid led the comeback. With seven minutes left, Kevin Durant and Booker drained back-to-back threes, cutting Serbia's lead from 78-67 to 78-73. Then, Team USA's all-time leading scorer, Kevin Durant, hit another jumper to bring the score to 80-75. James tied the game at 84 with a layup, and Curry's three-pointer with just over two minutes left gave the USA the lead they needed to eventually pull off the win.
Kerr later explained his decision by saying that it is really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys, and with Durant in the squad after an injury scare, he just went to the combinations that made the most sense. He admitted that he second-guessed his own choices, but ultimately, he chose to stick with the veterans and MVPs, four of whom were on the floor during those intense closing moments, leaving Tatum to watch from the sidelines.
"I understand why Tatum may have not played," Melo later added. I don't agree with how they went about it. If you know you are picking this team and you have these positions in these spots and you look at every spot and you look at the depth chart. Right, okay, you got point guards, okay, Steph, Jrue [Holiday], you know what I mean? You got Bron KD at the [small forward]… Tatum is on with them… you had to have him at [power forward], right?"
Tatum still has a chance
Tatum didn't have the best showing during Team USA's five-game exhibition tour before the Olympics. He averaged just 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, shooting 47% from the field, and went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. Initially, the Boston forward was expected to take on the sixth-man role, similar to his position in Tokyo. But his lack of impact on the court led Kerr to rely more on Durant as the backup power forward.
Looking ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Tatum will be 30 years old. By then, he'll likely be one of the veterans on the team, ready to step into a leadership role. Perhaps that's when he'll truly leave his mark on Team USA, showing the world what he's capable of on the international stage.
Related: "I'm not going to make any decision off emotions" - Jayson Tatum on playing in 2028 Olympics after disappointing Paris run
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