Team USA secured its fifth consecutive gold medal by defeating France in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games final, a victory anticipated by many given the roster’s star power. However, not all of the team’s elite players saw the court as much as expected, and one of the most notable omissions was Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Certainly the basketball stage was shocked to see Team USA’s debut at the Paris Olympics against Serbia and to see Jayson Tatum not playing a single minute in the opening game.
This decision by head coach Steve Kerr, who also limited Tatum’s minutes in subsequent games, sparked widespread criticism. Kerr later referred to Tatum’s limited role as a “math problem,” citing the challenges of managing a deep and talented roster.
Carmelo Anthony’s take on Tatum’s situation
In a recent episode of the podcast ‘7PM in Brooklyn,’ former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony gave his candid opinion on Tatum’s situation with Team USA. Anthony suggested that the blame lies partly with Steve Kerr and the Team USA coaching staff for not clearly communicating their plans to the players.
“I understand why Tatum may not have played… but I don’t agree with how they went about it,” Anthony said. “I’m cool with you saying ‘he’s not gonna play.’ Just be honest, because this is where we have the lack of communication. Talk to me; you already know where you see me at on this depth chart. So if I’m Tatum, I would be pissed… This is the side of basketball I love to talk about. He’s got one of the greatest resumes in the last five years. What he went through, I want everybody to see that. The whole world knew he was pissed, but he was resilient.”
Tatum, a five-time All-Star, was coming off a championship-winning season with the Celtics, making Kerr’s decision to bench him even more surprising. While managing minutes and rotations for a roster as talented as Team USA’s is no easy task, Anthony believes Kerr could have handled the situation with Tatum much better.