Eleven minutes and three seconds. That's the playing time allotted to Jayson Tatum during the Olympic final against France. If it is necessary to say it, it is because he spent two entire matches, against Serbia each time, on the bench. This caused a stir in Boston and among his close friends.
The result remains the same: the Celtics winger won a second gold medal in a row, confirming his golden year 2024 with the NBA title and now the Olympic title (like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White).
Given how frustrating his 2024 Olympic adventure was (71 minutes played in the tournament), can we imagine him refusing to return to Los Angeles in four years?
“It was a difficult experience on a personal level, but I'm not going to make a decision based on my emotions.”, Jayson Tatum answers. “If I'm asked now if I want to play in 2028, I say it's in four years and I have time to think about it. I'm not going to make any decision based on this experience or my personal feelings.”
“It's a driving force, but I remain human. So at the moment, it's difficult.”
No doubt, in the heat of the moment, and with two medals already around his neck, the player does not want to relive that. But a lot of water will have flowed under the bridge by then: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry are not eternal and will probably not be in the squad. The face of Team USA will have changed, that of Jayson Tatum too, no doubt.
However, the 2024 NBA champion could not ignore the outside noise that his absence in the first game and then in the semi-finals generated.
“A lot of people have texted me, reached out to me, saying this has to be fuel for me. I appreciate that. People care about me,” he says. “The hardest part is that, yes, it's a driving force, but I'm still human. I made sacrifices, I worked very hard. So at the moment, it's difficult. I'm going to learn from this experience. It was definitely a challenge and a lesson in humility.”
| Jayson Tatum | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | BOS | 80 | 31 | 47.5 | 43.4 | 82.6 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 13.9 |
| 2018-19 | BOS | 79 | 31 | 45.0 | 37.3 | 85.5 | 0.9 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 15.7 |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 66 | 34 | 45.0 | 40.3 | 81.2 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 23.4 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 64 | 36 | 45.9 | 38.6 | 86.8 | 0.8 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 76 | 36 | 45.3 | 35.3 | 85.3 | 1.1 | 6.9 | 8.0 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 26.9 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 74 | 37 | 46.6 | 35.0 | 85.4 | 1.1 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 4.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 30.1 |
| 2023-24 | BOS | 74 | 36 | 47.1 | 37.6 | 83.3 | 0.9 | 7.2 | 8.1 | 4.9 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 26.9 |
| Total | 513 | 34 | 46.0 | 37.5 | 84.4 | 0.9 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 23.1 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
