Celtics Coach's Strong Reaction to Steve Kerr's Quip on Benching Jayson Tatum

There was much hullabaloo over Steve Kerr's benching of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum during Team USA's campaign in the Paris Olympics.

Kerr, who coaches the Golden State Warriors, admitted that it was tough finding minutes for everyone, including an NBA champion and All-NBA First Team member like Tatum.

Despite the situation, Tatum said he remained professional and continued to do the work. In the end, he won his second Olympic gold medal.

In a recent interview with NBA.com's Steve Aschburner , Kerr said he expects a rude welcome from Celtics fans when the Warriors visit Beantown this season because of his treatment of Tatum.

"I think they’re going to be all over me," said Kerr. "That’s fine."

In his latest feature , Aschburner shared Kerr's remark to Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and asked him about Tatum's benching in Paris. He said it won't be a problem for his star forward.

"I expect JT to come in with the utmost motivation regardless of what happened to him in the summer," said Mazzulla. "Everything nowadays is so short-sighted.

"He’s got a long time to go. With that are going to come ebbs and flows. He understands that. The one thing about him regardless of the circumstances, his work ethic, his habits and his mindset don’t change."

Tatum saw his scoring dip last season to 26.9 points per game, but analysts noted that he improved his playmaking, one-on-one defense and overall court awareness.

Mazzulla acknowledged that they will have a target on their back as the defending champions. He touted their vision of sticking to the process and doing "bigger due diligence."

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