Despite not seeing a ton of action in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Jayson Tatum isn’t prepared to step away from the Olympics for good. According to the 2024 NBA champion, “It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision off emotions. 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.”
After Tatum remained glued to the bench against Serbia in Team USA’s Olympic opening blowout, Steve Kerr immediately referred to himself as an “idiot” and vowed to add Tatum to the rotation moving forward. Against South Sudan and Puerto Rico, Tatum logged 40 total minutes and netted 14 points to help Team USA secure a 3-0 record in pool play. He even recorded 20 minutes and five points against Brazil in the first round of the knockout stage, but with Steve Kerr’s bunch trailing Serbia for most of their semifinal matchup, it wasn’t surprising to watch the 2015-16 Coach of the Year lean on his most reliable contributors. As a result, Tatum failed to work up a sweat for the second time in five games, but he returned to the lineup in the gold medal contest against France. He received 11 minutes of playing time and connected on just one of his three field goal attempts, but in the end, Team USA prevailed thanks to Steph Curry’s 3-point barrage in the final two minutes of the ball game.
You may not consider yourself a loyal Jayson Tatum supporter at the moment, but you have to respect how he’s handling this situation. With the 2028 Olympics being four years away, Tatum is doing the right thing by operating like a rational human being and taking some time to examine the pros and cons of competing for Team USA in the near future.
