Tom Brady Defends Jayson Tatum After Struggling To Play At The Paris Olympics

NFL legend Tom Brady has opened up on Jayson Tatum 's Paris 2024 Olympics struggles by praising his professionalism and team-first mindset over a tough individual stretch. Brady made it clear in an Instagram comment that Tatum deserves more respect for the sacrifices he made to ensure the overall success of the team, who brought home the Gold medal after going undefeated.

“A true professional! A true champion! And a great O teammate! We should celebrate people who care more about the team success than the individual success! There are so many people involved in every organization who don't always play a "starting" role but play a huge role in the success of the team. I have more respect for Jayson Tatum now more than ever! Now this is what we should be teaching our kids!”

Tatum averaged 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals at the Paris Olympics, receiving multiple DNPs and playing one of the smallest roles on the roster despite being a reigning All-NBA First Team player and NBA Champion. He was outshined by both his Celtics teammates Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, with the only Team USA playing fewer minutes than Tatum being Tyrese Haliburton.

The presence of LeBron James and Kevin Durant complicated the available minutes for forwards very slim, with USA also experimenting with double-big lineups which saw Bam Adebayo or Anthony Davis also get minutes at power forward.

With games being just 40 minutes long, the gameplan couldn't accommodate Tatum. The fact that he was struggling to shoot the ball made that decision clearer for Steve Kerr and the coaching staff.

The 2024-25 NBA season will be a revenge season for Tatum, despite coming off a summer where he won the NBA title and a Gold medal.

Jayson Tatum Couldn't Find A Rhythm At The Olympics

The nature of Team USA basketball means that the best players in the world need to find a way to play with each other for just one summer while usually remaining out of playing rhythm. The shorter game makes the minutes more valuable and teams can't afford to let their players spend 10 minutes trying to get into a rhythm.

Tatum made it clear that he struggled to find his rhythm dfue to the nature of Olympic basketball, a concern he was aware of based on his past Team USA experience as well .

“I wasn’t moping around. I didn’t have an attitude. I wasn’t angry at the world. I stayed ready and did what was asked of me and I won a gold medal, right? I know I didn’t make a jump shot when I was with Team USA. I don’t know, law of averages. It’s a weird rhythm thing being with Team USA; you never exactly know when you’re gonna get the ball. But that’s part of it. You sign up for that because I’ve done it before (at the Tokyo Games).”

Tatum will go back to being the No. 1 option in the NBA and hope to dominate with the Celtics, who are hoping to defend their NBA Championship and raise their 19th banner to the rafters. Hopefully, he can shrug his Team USA experience off to dominate the court in the NBA and push for a fourth consecutive All-NBA First Team appearance.

Related: Jayson Tatum On The 2024 Offseason: "It's Been A Crazy Summer..."

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