NBA Notebook: Jayson Tatum Olympic benching intensifies debate on Celtics star

Jayson Tatum's blank stare on the Team USA bench became nearly as notable as Steph Curry flexing and shouting in front of stars and stripes in Thursday's Olympic semifinal and basketball classic between the US and Serbia. Nikola Jokić's Serbian national team nearly pulled off arguably the greatest upset ever for American international basketball, Team USA's veterans saved them from embarrassment with iconic performances and Tatum played 0 minutes. 

It's the latest story in a perplexing summer for the Celtics star who should be enjoying a victory lap and instead received criticism for his performance on the way to a championship, the way he celebrated, and he now sits outside of the 10-man USA rotation entering Saturday's gold medal game against France. The backlash for head coach Steve Kerr, who also benched Tatum in group play against Serbia, came from analysts, former and current NBA players, along with Tatum's father and mother, who expressed displeasure with Kerr's decision online. They were the first significant DNP-CDs of his life. 

"It’s not about anything Jayson is doing or not doing," Kerr explained after the game "It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything.”

The width of reaction to Tatum's benching speaks to both the enormity of the position in the basketball world he attained before turning 27, a unique feat that'll allow him to grow and build on his first championship. The motivation this Olympic snub provides is obvious, while the support he's garnered from around the basketball world when his situation could've easily been overshadowed by one of the greatest basketball games in recent history speaks to the respect he's earned. A German who I met at a show in Paris on Friday brought up Kerr benching Tatum immediately.

Yet while the degree to which Tatum's role diminished surprised everyone, the construction of the roster pointed toward Tatum at least taking a back seat. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry earned the right to headline this roster, and their performance fulfilled the deference Kerr and Grant Hill lent them. Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards outplayed Tatum through training camp and the exhibitions, and while his role in those settings started brief and sporadic, Tatum played without a clear role in the offense and his three-point shot effectively disappeared following a cold postseason from deep. Tatum shot 0-for-9 from three between the exhibitions, group play and his appearance against Brazil off the bench in the quarterfinal round. 

Barring a massive performance that swings the game in Saturday's gold medal event, the 2024 Olympics deepened the division between Tatum enthusiasts and Celtics fans who consider him one of the NBA's best players and critics who deride his consistency and dominance. He hasn't spoken at length about the snubs, with those around him stressing his commitment to winning, but this summer, rather than the championship run that preceded it, has the chance to change the course of Tatum's career in some capacity. Tatum spent his younger years wanting to reach the league, achieve what the players he idolized did and win. Unlike his favorite player Kobe Bryant, he did so amicably, stressing team over self, befriending many opponents and rarely raising his voice above his organization's. Tatum recently expressed regret to SI over not having Jaylen Brown's back during past trade rumors. 

The questions following this tournament for Tatum start with where his jump shot stands entering 2024-25 and extend to what he wants to prove next. Will he remain focused on the championship-at-all-costs mindset that led to every Celtics player taking a statistical hit on their way to a 16-3 postseason run? Will he play for the US in 2028? More immediately, will squarely positioning himself as the league's best player become a greater motivation for Tatum over the next few years? Will he form a villainous edge and carry some contempt into training camp? The high road seems more likely based on how Tatum has handled past losses, slights and moments where he needed to sacrifice. Steadily. This is a new arena for him though, and one that he, fortunately for Boston, shares with with Brown, who responded to his Olympic snub more publicly. It's now a common experience between the pair. 

"Jaylen’s a great player," Brad Stevens said of Brown's situation in July, responding to Tatum's with the Globe similarly. "I don’t think there’s any doubt that Jaylen could be on any team, any Olympic team in any year. But at the end of the day, his approach, he talked about how he called Derrick, he talked about his own feelings. Whether he has success, or he gets all the accolades, like Finals MVP or Eastern Conference Finals MVP, or he feels like he got left off the team. He’s going to be motivated and hungry regardless. That’s what I’ve always loved about him. He always goes back to work.”

Stevens also mentioned that this year will be more difficult for the Celtics. There's the typical championship hangover. The east improved and regardless of how much you believe it mattered, Boston received some breaks last postseason when three of their opponents lost their star to injury. Kristaps Porziņģis could miss half the season with his injury. It's the start of a journey under new league salary penalties, an eventual ownership change, their supermax contracts and handling their new status as champions that Brown and Tatum will have to navigate annually. As their teammates age and could eventually depart across the next few years, they'll shoulder more of the load in keeping the Celtics in contention. Responding to this summer's slights starts with their improvement. Because Kerr's decision wasn't totally unfounded. It began when Tatum's offensive role forming unevenly after camp. 

It also recalled the Tatum argument from the playoffs. He didn't experience vintage scoring outbreak games. Tatum shot 28.3% from three in the playoffs and his 42.7% efficiency from the field left him with many nights where it looked like the Celtics needed to get him going. Joe Mazzulla denied that, and was proven right. When the NBA Finals arrived, Tatum drove into a crowd and made the right pass over and over again. He flexed his annually growing muscle by playing closer to the basket, reaching the free throw line even as his shot disappeared. His impact grew after a slow start to the series, but when they announced Finals MVP, he didn't hear his name. A rarity for the championship team's near-consensus best player. 

Tatum could easily shrug that off with the trophy in hand, which also gives him the power to do the same to these Olympics, especially if the US wins gold on Saturday. The next step is more fascinating. There's a world where Tatum drives and kicks his way to multiple championships and a dynasty, securing his status as a master of none-winning vehicle through his versatility even if no single role he plays shines brightest. If his reliance swings back toward scoring to show his worth, a more complicated debate awaits. For now, it remains a thorny one, where supporters showcase his impact beyond the box score and critics see a gap between him and the league's stars who demand the game revolves around them and their statistical output. Tatum's 10 points, 10 rebounds and three assists against Puerto Rico, while not widely lauded with a knockout stage spot clinched, showed his ability to play complementary basketball at a high level without stealing the show. 

That Tatum sat and watched Edwards play over him adds to this debate's intrigue, positioning two young stars previously compared during the playoffs who nearly met in the Finals for one rotation spot on Team USA. One captivated fans with his forceful personality and style of play, which raised Minnesota's status and made him a US shoo-in after he boasted that the offense had to run through him. You can't ignore Edwards. The other player set the tone for a far less boisterous approach, one that earned him the championship he long coveted and the respect he clearly earned through his controversy, but without minutes and the outstanding question still remaining about where he stands among his superstar peers. 

"Definitely a humbling experience, right?” Tatum said earlier this month. “Win a championship, new contract, cover of (NBA) 2K (video game) and then you sit a whole game. Cover of Sports Illustrated. So it was definitely a humbling experience.”

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Boston: Jayson Tatum sat for the second time in five Olympic games against Serbia after his 1-for-5 showing in the team's win over Brazil. Tatum's family, Bob Cousy, Wyc Grousbeck and others have questioned the decision to marginalize Tatum's role with the team, while Steve Kerr said it's a math problem trying to involve all 12 players on Team USA. Jrue Holiday, who missed the group play finale against Puerto Rico, started and shot 5-for-9 from the field in the two knockout stage wins. Derrick White finished 2-for-8 in them, only playing seven minutes against Serbia. Former Celtic Guerschon Yabusele has shined for France, leading the team in scoring in its semifinal upset win over Germany and averaging 12.8 PPG on 55% shooting so far. The NY Post reported the Koch family, Red Sox owner John Henry's Fenway sports group and Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca could all enter the mix to purchase the Celtics from the Grousbeck family. The team hired JPMorgan and BDT & MSD Partners to facilitate a majority stake sale into 2025. Boston will reportedly host the 76ers on Christmas Day this December. 

Denver: Nikola Jokić and the Serbian national team won the bronze medal, 93-83, on Saturday after defeating Germany and narrowly losing what would've marked perhaps the greatest Olympic basketball upset ever, 95-91, against the United States on Thursday. Jokić shot 7-for-17 with 17 points, five rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and one block, stuffing LeBron James off the backboard at one point and building an 84-77 lead with 5:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. Bogdan Bogdanovic narrowly missed what could've been a game-icing three ahead by four moments later, and Jokić missed a shot that would've built a four-point lead with 2:44 left. Instead, Steph Curry hit a go-ahead three after a botched Serbian second-chance three and the US scored on its following two possessions to increase its lead to five before advancing to the gold medal game. Jokić posted 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the bronze game. Jamal Murray struggled in the Olympics as Canada lost in the quarterfinals to France, shooting 3-for-13 in the loss. The Nuggets will reportedly visit the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day. 

Golden State: Steph Curry, who started the Olympics slow, had his iconic moment against Serbia, rolling in what became the game-winning three above the break as part of his 36-point masterpiece that saved the US from an all-time embarrassing loss. Curry shot 9-for-14 from deep and added eight rebounds while playing only 33 minutes. Kerr stayed with his longtime point guard through shooting struggles, including an 0-for-6 group game against South Sudan and the Brazil quarterfinal win where he didn't hit a three. Curry, who earned his first Finals MVP late in his career by beating the Celtics in 2022, will now play for the gold medal in his first Olympics with the chance to become the most valuable contributor to the effort. For Kerr, who has expressed the difficulty with building rotations throughout the team's run, boos will inevitably meet him at TD Garden in each of his trips to Boston now. Even Draymond Green poked at his head coach's rotations on X during the game. The Warriors, who struck out on their pursuit of Lauri Markkanen, will now pursue smaller-scale contracts. Oshae Brissett could make sense here. Golden State will host the Lakers on Christmas Day 2024. 

Lakers: JJ Redick and the Lakers confirmed the new coaching staff that'll oversee LeBron James and Anthony Davis' attempt to return to contention. Former Hawks coach Nate McMillan and Thunder/Wizards coach Scott Brooks will bring head coaching experience atop the staff, while Bob Beyer, Greg St. Jean, Lindsey Harding and Beau Levesque will round out the bench. James has averaged 14.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 8.2 APG while shooting 67.4% from the field, knocking down a game-tying layup and another to boost the US' lead to three after Curry's go-ahead three late. Davis also emerged as one of the US' most important contributors through the Brazil win, where he posted 13 points and eight rebounds, but he played 10 minutes against Serbia in favor of Joel Embiid matching up with Jokić. The US will face France for the gold medal on Saturday at 3:30 EST. 

Miami: An NBA scout assessed the highly intriguing Miami Summer League championship roster and how it could impact the real roster for the Miami Herald. Praising Kel'el Ware, the scout said the Heat's first round pick could become this year's Dereck Lively II, the first-rounder from Duke who played crucial minutes at center for the Mavericks through the NBA Finals and finished sixth in rookie of the year voting. Dan Le Batard speculated on how Anthony Edwards could eventually join the Heat, sharing information about how Minnesota's ownership situation could impact Tim Connolly's future there. Bill Simmons also spoke about Edwards and Bam Adebayo's strong relationship. Gordon Hayward, who retired last week, shared that he planned to sign with the Heat in 2017 before being talked into taking more meetings and eventually changing his mind and agreeing to a deal with Boston. Heat wing Nikola Jovic, 21, only played sparingly for Team Serbia during its run to bronze. 

Milwaukee: A surprising Christmas snub that's perhaps indicative of their trajectory. The San Antonio Spurs joining the Christmas slate against the Knicks likely bumped Milwaukee. The Bucks had played as part of the last seven Christmas Day slates with Giannis Antetokounmpo as their star, which led to some confusion from Antetokounmpo in an X post. Team Greece reached the knockout stage after a dominant summer by Antetokounmpo that likely slots him as the second-best player in the league this year behind Jokić. He helped them reach their first Olympics before advancing from group play, then losing to Germany. Antetokounmpo averaged 22.7 PPG in the qualifiers, defeating Luka Dončić and Serbia in the final, then posted 25.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 3.5 APG on 67.8% shooting in four games to officially place eighth at the Olympics. 

Minnesota: Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert both enter the gold medal game on the edge of their rotations, respectively, for the US and France. Edwards provided steady double-figure scoring through the American run before shooting 1-for-3 with a pair of turnovers in 13 minutes against Serbia. Edwards and Devin Booker have edged out Jayson Tatum for rotation minutes, with Steve Kerr under enormous pressure from spectators, outside players and analysts to involve Tatum. Meanwhile, the French have gone away from Gobert in the starting lineup to play smaller and might have to do the same against the US to keep up with their perimeter prowess. Kevin Durant will start on Saturday in place of Jrue Holiday for the US. Gobert is also reportedly suffering from a finger injury. The Timberwolves will visit the Mavericks in the second game of the Christmas Day slate this December. 

"I wanted Wemby to start at position five. [Guerschon] Yabusele at position 4," France head coach Vincent Collet said of his starting unit. "The second change was (Isaïa) Cordinier for Evan Fournier because I wanted to start with a defensive starting five."

New York: The Knicks named Jalen Brunson captain, the team's 36th in franchise history. Lance Thomas, Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton held that role through the less heralded seasons during the 2000s. Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and other franchise greats were captains during the 1990s though, and following his breakout season and extension, Brunson has legitimately joined them among the most beloved and successful Knicks ever. 

"The New York Knicks have a deep and storied history and today we are immensely proud to add to that lineage by naming Jalen Brunson as our captain," Knicks president Leon Rose said. "Jalen is a natural-born leader, and I am confident he will continue to represent our organization, fans, city and his teammates with the same heart, grit and class that he has displayed each and every day since he came to New York."