Jayson Tatum didn't shine throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics, even though the United States didn't cakewalk its way to a gold medal finish. But then again, the Boston Celtics star didn't have the opportunity to do so, either.
Tatum was relegated to a backend-of-the-bench role for USA Basketball's star-filled roster, led by head coach Steve Kerr. In the semifinals against Nikola Jokić and Serbia, which came down to the wire, Tatum was left on the sideline from start to finish.
The 26-year-old then logged 11 minutes -- scoring 2 points on three shot attempts -- in the winner-take-all showdown against France on Saturday, which didn't provide Tatum much time to make a difference coming off the bench. Nevertheless, the five-time All-Star made one thing clear after the challenging experience in Paris: 2024 won't impact Tatum's feelings about playing in 2028.
"It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I'm not going to make any decision off emotions," Tatum said after USA's 98-87 win over France, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "If you asked me right now if I was going to play in 2028 -- it is four years from now and I (would have) to take time and think about that. So I'm not going to make any decision based off how this experience was or how I felt individually."
Keeping a player of Tatum's caliber, especially coming off an NBA Finals victory and a record-setting $313 million contract extension with the Celtics, drew suspicions about Kerr's coaching strategy -- and rightfully so. Tatum wasn't the weakest link on Team USA's roster by any stretch, therefore, to force the First Team All-NBA forward to play benchwarmer on the Olympic stage is more than just questionable. When Jokić and Serbia cornered the United States and took a 17-point lead in the second half, Kerr's squad underwent a horrific defensive stretch and didn't even bother to give Tatum a chance to redirect the momentum. Had Stephen Curry not bailed out Kerr -- yet again -- the 58-year-old would've led arguably the biggest upset in USA Basketball history.
Even though Tatum became accustomed to the outsider disrespect throughout Boston's victorious run to the Finals a couple months ago, there is a silver lining to be considered: The 2024 Olympics were (presumably) Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant's farewell as participants. Kerr, too, isn't a guarantee to return in 2028, but Tatum, who will be 30 years old at the time and still in the midst of his prime, will be prepared with four more years of NBA experience; perhaps tasked with being the leader of Team USA in Los Angeles.
"Part of being in the moment, I've sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard," Tatum said, per Windhorst. "So in the moment it is tough. You're not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or (whenever) the season is, but like I said, it's something I'm going to take away from this and learn from this experience. It's definitely challenging and humbling at the same time."
