Boston Celtics’ Jrue Holiday has opened up on his teammate Jayson Tatum’s lack of game time in the Paris Olympics for Team USA. Tatum played in four of USA’s six games in Paris and wasn’t used a lot by head coach Steve Kerr.
He didn’t play in the semifinal clash against Serbia, which the USA won by 95-91 while bouncing back in the fourth quarter. Tatum came off the bench in the first quarter in the gold medal match against France on Saturday and played for 11 minutes. The 26-year-old scored two points and three rebounds in his short appearance.
“I think everybody knows JT,” Holiday said on Raising Cane’s event. “He’s the ultimate professional. He knows what it is, what the ultimate goal is. I don’t think he needed any encouragement. I think it’s more so like staying ready whenever it’s his time to be called.”
On the other hand, former USA player Carmelo Anthony showered praise on Jayson Tatum’s resilience in the Olympic Games in Paris.
“I want these young athletes out here to know s*** is real out here,” Anthony said on 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast. “… This man has one of the best resumes over the four or five years out of any player in any sport. What he went through I want everybody to see that s*** like that s*** hurt to go through that on national television around the world. … He was resilient.”
Meanwhile, Tatum admitted it was challenging for him to warm the bench and not get regular chances on the court. However, the NBA champion said he learned a lot and wants to be ready for the upcoming NBA season.
Tatum will look to defend his NBA title in the upcoming season.
