At the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, it was Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics that stood tall. Tatum finally broke through after years of consistently being in championship contention, and he played a leading role in bringing banner number 18 to Beantown. Thus, the whole basketball world was in the palm of Tatum's hands, and he wasn't shy in celebrating having reached the pinnacle of team success in the NBA.
So there Tatum was, committing to playing for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics looking primed to play a huge role in redeeming their fourth-place finish in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. But it immediately became clear that the Celtics star was going to have to take a backseat. Head coach Steve Kerr opted to start Devin Booker, and in the end, it was Tatum who lost out on minutes — even receiving two DNPs in the process.
The lack of a consistent playing time destroyed the Celtics star's rhythm, and he played well below his standards as a result. Regardless, one of the greatest winners in the history of professional sports, Tom Brady, lauded Jayson Tatum for doing whatever he could to help Team USA bag home the gold despite his lackluster play.
“A true professional! A true champion! And a great O teammate! We should celebrate people who care more about the team success than the individual success! There are so many people involved in every organization who don't always play a “starting” role but play a huge role in the success of the team. I have more respect for Jayson Tatum now more than ever! 10 now this is what we should be teaching our kids!” Brady wrote as a comment on Instagram.
Tom Brady defended Jayson Tatum after he struggled to find playing time with Team USA 👏🏽
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 30, 2024
“A true professional! A true champion! And a great O teammate! We should celebrate people who care more about the team success than the individual success! There are so many people involved… pic.twitter.com/CSC3SAX2I5
Tom Brady defended Jayson Tatum after he struggled to find playing time with Team USA 👏🏽 “A true professional! A true champion! And a great O teammate! We should celebrate people who care more about the team success than the individual success! There are so many people involved…
It was certainly a humbling experience for Jayson Tatum to go from playing a starring role in winning a championship for the Celtics to not knowing when he's going to get minutes for Team USA. It's hard to make any judgments based off of body language, but it seemed as though Tatum wasn't too pleased with the role he got — with his mother even expressing her anger on social media due to her son's lack of playing time.
Regardless, Tatum did not kick up a fuss, and he defended well, giving him value despite failing to make a single jumpshot throughout the competition. But as Tom Brady said, every member of a winning team — from the star player to the man handing out high-fives like candy — is valuable, and the Celtics star certainly proved as much.
Will Team USA experience fuel Jayson Tatum and Celtics to 2nd straight ring?
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When a player has already accomplished nearly everything there is to accomplish in their field, like Jayson Tatum has (NBA championship, two Olympic gold medals), there needs to be a source of added motivation to keep the competitive fire burning. Perhaps his humbling 2024 Team USA experience will serve as the exact chip on the shoulder that he needs to avoid being complacent in the Celtics' title-defense season.
Tatum already implored his Celtics teammates to maintain the same sense of urgency they had last season when they were hunting for a championship. This is the mindset Tatum must bring to the table, holding everyone accountable as they look to ward off would-be title contenders in their search for banner number 19.
