Completely “frozen” on the bench in the US match against Serbia 4 days ago, Jayson Tatum went from being the star of the Boston Celtics squad that just won the 2024 NBA championship to the person “carrying water and chopping oranges” for the players. teammates at the 2024 Olympics.
This is a reasonable but extremely bold decision by head coach Steve Kerr. It surprised many fans and even Tatum didn’t believe it.
Sharing with reporters after being trusted in the starting lineup against South Sudan, the player who inherited the number 10 shirt of the late legendary Kobe Bryant said that this was an experience he did not expect.
“ It’s not easy because this is a big playground. But I also understand that in the Olympics, there are no personal factors or favoritism for any player, what comes first is the success of the team “, said Jayson Tatum.
“ I’m not here for myself, but because I want to join my teammates and seniors in making history with a gold medal. However, I also have to admit it feels like I’ve been brought back to earth.
Just won the NBA championship, had a huge contract extension, appeared on the cover of NBA 2K25 or Sports Illustrated… then sat on the bench. An experience that shows that the story at the Olympics is completely different “, Tatum added.
After not letting his student play for any second in the match against Serbia, US head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that he would let Jayson Tatum play against South Sudan.
The promise was fulfilled when Tatum did not play but also played in the starting lineup. Although he did not leave much of an impression, the NBA champion had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in the first 17 minutes of competition at the Paris Olympics.
Suffering the same fate as Jayson Tatum last match was Tyrese Haliburton. The Indiana Pacers star also played in this match, quickly scoring 6 points with 2 successful 3-pointers in 8 minutes on the court.
The person who had to sit out the entire match against South Sudan for the US team was Joel Embiid, who was informed by coach Steve Kerr that he would “definitely be used” in the final group stage match against Puerto Rico.
“ At the end of the day, what we all want is not how many minutes we play on the field. What I personally and I believe this team wants is victory and a gold medal.
We have 12 players who are always ready, whether they are starters or substitutes, they will give 100% of their effort to help the team win. The proof is that the second team helped us win against South Sudan today “, captain LeBron James shared.
The US team’s 103-86 victory over South Sudan helped coach Steve Kerr’s team win their second win at the 2024 Olympics, and also extended this team’s unbeaten streak to 7 matches (if including 5 friendly matches). before the Olympics).
Currently, the US is one of four teams that won early tickets to the quarterfinals. The remaining three names are hosts France, Canada and defending FIBA World Cup champion – team Germany.
