It’s no secret that Jayson Tatum had much less playing time in the Olympics than most of us expected. He didn’t play terribly when he was on the court, but he was second-to-last on the team in minutes played.
The Boston Celtics held their media day earlier today and Tatum had this to say about his time in the Olympics.
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“In real time, it was tough,” Tatum said. “I talked to [head coach] Joe [Mazzulla] 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 of the games in the Olympics.”
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Tatum also set the record straight about what’s motivating him for this season.
“Did I need any extra motivation coming into the season? No. I’m not gonna give anybody any particular credit that they’re motivating me coming into the season,” Tatum said. “It was a unique circumstance, something I haven’t experienced before in my playing career, but I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason.”
Tatum and the Celtics seemed to be in high spirits for media day as they ramp up to pursue another NBA championship.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
