Celtics’ Jayson Tatum says he doesn’t ‘understand’ reason for US Olympic benching | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, who had just led his team to an NBA championship, was forced to miss two of Team USA’s six Olympic Games.

He also struggled on the court, averaging 5.3 points and 38.1 percent shooting in 17.7 minutes per game.

During Celtics Media Day on Tuesday, Tatum indicated he still hasn’t “understood” why he’s been given so little playing time.

“Did I need any extra motivation going into the season? No, I’m not going to give credit to anyone in particular for motivating me going into the season,” Tatum said, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

“It was a unique circumstance, something I’ve never experienced before in my playing career. But I believe everything happens for a reason. I just came off a championship, the highest of all highs, a cover of 2K, a new contract, and that happened. Whatever the reason is, I haven’t figured it out yet. But I believe everything happens for a reason.

It’s understandable that it was a bitter pill for Tatum to swallow. He simply wasn’t a prominent player on Team USA, as LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant ultimately took the lead.

Still, Tatum also looks at it positively, as he now has two gold medals to his name.

“But it was a good experience,” Tatum said.

“We won a gold medal, I won my second, I was surrounded by some of the best players to play the game every day, build some friendships and I was able to bring my family and enjoy the Olympics as a whole. So that was definitely a plus for me.”

Tatum must now act quickly, as the Celtics, preseason favorites for the NBA title, are in a great position to win two straight championships and the franchise’s 19th championship overall.

The C’s are led by head coach Joe Mazzulla. On Tuesday, Tatum joked that his lack of playing time and the relinquishing of NBA Finals MVP honors to Jaylen Brown should make Mazzulla happy, as the coach sees both as added fuel for the seven-year veteran.

“Motivation? I guess you could say that, if you want to keep it simple,” Tatum said. “In real time, (not playing in the Olympics) was tough. And Joe, I talked to Joe a lot. Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and that I didn’t play in two games in the Olympics. That was strange, but when you know Joe, it makes sense.”

Ultimately, this is all history for Tatum, who now moves on to a new season. And for what it’s worth, he could very well still be on the Olympic team in 2028 when the Summer Games are held in Los Angeles.

But for now, the focus is on 2024-25, and a season that starts on Oct. 22 against the New York Knicks.