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The summer Olympic quadrennial has come to a close. The USA men’s basketball team took its gold medals and flew home. But some of the conversation appears to be stuck in Paris. Certainly in the Celtics universe, Jayson Tatum‘s relatively limited role, lowlighted by two DNPs, is a hot topic and is destined to remain so into the NBA season’s start. But the issue has legs well beyond any virtual Bostonian borders.
There was understanding both for USA Basketball coach Steve Kerr and his decision-making process and for Tatum and his ability to perform as needed — even if different from his night job with the 2024 NBA champion Celtics.
“They needed Tatum to start possessions away from the ball,” one coach told Heavy Sports. “That’s not what he does usually, but are you trying to tell me he wasn’t capable enough of that to be a factor in every game? Are you trying to tell me he couldn’t have helped against Serbia in those games he didn’t get to play?”
It Was Steve Kerr’s Team to Coach
Another league exec checked in with an opinion that echoed many of his peers.
“We pick a coach to coach the team, and it’s all about who he wants to play,” he said. “You know, players have to prove to the coach that they deserve to play, period.
“And, by the way, two of the players that were the primary players — [Steph] Curry and [Kevin] Durant, have won multiple championships for the head coach. So I think that if Joe Mazzulla was the head coach, then maybe Jayson Tatum’s playing the whole game. I don’t know, but it’s the coach’s decision — and the coach gets judged on whether he wins, and Steve Kerr did.
“I’m just saying that Steve Kerr got the gold. He stuck with his guy; Curry wasn’t playing well for a few games, but he stuck with him and it paid off at the biggest moments. LeBron [James] was really good the whole time, and Durant won a couple of games for them with big, big shots down the stretch.
“So it seems like there’s not anything to complain about. They won. They did their job. And, you know, not everybody gets what they want. It’s not much more complicated than that.”
A source with experience on the bench and front office took a traditional approach and added a glance to the future.
“You know how much I love Tatum and how he’s evolved his game. But I don’t think anybody deserves just to play because of who they are or how good they are in the league,” he said. “You’re not entitled to minutes. The coach is going to determine that, based on what he thinks.
“Jayson did get to start two games, right? Everybody should get to participate, but not everybody can have a big role in every game. That’s hard to do. Your best players would suffer if you tried to give everybody equal time, especially in 40-minute games.
“He got the gold. He didn’t get the role he wanted. But next time,” he added, looking toward the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, “he’ll probably be in the role he wants, with no KD and no LeBron and no Steph playing. He’ll be the next generation of them.”
Jayson Tatum, Role Player?
The question in Paris was whether Tatum could have been a star in a supporting role. One NBA veteran who’s transitioned to management believes so, though others, including two of his Celtic teammates, may have been easier fits.
“I’m of the belief that star players can be good role players,” he said. “Sometimes it’s convincing them, and sometimes it’s just saying, ‘We need this out of you and not having the ball in your hands all the time.’
“But we’ve also seen in the history of the Olympics that sometimes there’s almost like competition with the players and who wants a bigger role. And that’s where Derrick White and Jrue Holiday come in. They’re not a threat to any of that. They know the roles they’re supposed to play, because that’s what they do all the time. That’s what’s made them great NBA players — being great complementary players.”
“They had three guys that were on-ball players that need the ball a lot in their hands — LeBron, Curry and Durant. You can’t have five. It’s not complicated. Now, the question is, can Jayson play in that [off-the-ball] role and be better than [Devin] Booker and White and Holiday? It’s my thought that he can. But that’s the fear that he’s not going to. …
“When I saw him play, he was very unselfish, he made very good passes, he only was taking open shots. It wasn’t like he was trying to force anything. His spot-up shooting has never been very good. And that’s another thing. White and Jrue and Booker, they’re better spot-up shooters. They’re not better scorers necessarily; they’re better spot-up shooters. Those are the shots that are going to be available off of those other three star players.”
Celtics Could Benefit From Motivation
The source then laughed.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see how Tatum reacts to all of this,” he said. “From everything I’ve seen and know, he’ll use it as motivation. The great ones always do. They perceive slights even when they’re not there. [Michael Jordan] took everything personal. That’s how a great player becomes a beast.”
And how Steve Kerr may have become an unwitting Dr. Jekyll as he was trying to do the right thing.
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