Surprisingly for many, superstar Jayson Tatum didn’t see a second of action in the first game of the tournament. He was even allowed to start in the win against South Sudan, but another star suffered the same fate as in the opening game
Jayson Tatum is without question one of the best basketball players on the planet. The Boston Celtics forward has been on the All-NBA First Team in each of the last three years and has been an All-Star in each of the last five years. But the crowning glory came this summer when he won his first NBA title with the Boston Celtics. In July, he signed the most expensive contract in NBA history, which will earn him 314 million US dollars over the next five years. All’s well in basketball world for Tatum, one would think.
But then he suddenly didn’t play a single second in Team USA’s tournament opener against Serbia, just like his teammate Tyrese Haliburton. Sure, he’s part of an absolute super team, but not being allowed on the floor came as more than a surprise, and not just for the 26-year-old: “You win a championship, get a new contract, are on the cover of NBA 2K25, Sports Illustrated … after all that, it’s definitely a humbling experience,” Tatum said after his team’s second win against South Sudan.
Embiid shares Tatum’s fate
In the duel with the East Africans, he was allowed to play around 17 minutes, scored 4 points and was in the starting five: “We won. I was just happy to play again after all the talk over the last few days,” said the Celtics forward about the recent discussions after which coach Steve Kerr had given him a guarantee of action. Tatum is aware that his coach sometimes has to make difficult decisions due to the enormous depth of the USA squad: “It’s a unique situation and it’s not about an individual player. Of course you want to play, but it’s not about my personal story. “
“The hardest thing about my job is that every time I’m not going to play some players who are world class,” Kerr had already said after the Serbia game. Instead of Tatum, it was another superstar against South Sudan: Joel Embiid had to watch the game from the bench for 40 minutes. “With our rotation, we wanted to make sure we could keep up with a smaller and faster team,” said the coach, explaining why the center, who had played 11 minutes in the opener, was left out. However, he plans to play Embiid again in the final group game: “Joel will be back against Puerto Rico. “
James cracks new points mark
Thanks to their commanding victory over the Olympic newcomers, the US boys defended first place in Group C ahead of the group final. However, there is still a long way to go before the big goal of gold. One player, on the other hand, had something to celebrate after the game against South Sudan, even if he didn’t seem to care: LeBron James broke the 300-point barrier at the Olympics with his 12 points: “It’s definitely always an honor when you see your name in the record books. But at the end of the day, I’m here for the big picture.”
Nevertheless, in the history of Team USA at the Olympics, only two players have scored more points than the 39-year-old. With 306 points, he is still 30 points behind Carmelo Anthony, who he should catch up with at this tournament. However, one of his current teammates has pulled ahead of him: Kevin Durant is enthroned at the top with 472 points scored
