As we embark on yet another NBA season, Jayson Tatum is seemingly putting the league on notice. Coming off a busy summer that included an NBA championship, as well as an Olympic gold medal, you’d wonder why the chip on the shoulder? Well if you ask Tatum, or one Stephen A. Smith, it’s because of Steve Kerr not playing Tatum much during the Olympics. Much was made about Kerr not playing the superstar and current NBA champion. But if you ask me, based on Tatum’s Olympic performances, he wasn’t wrong.
Smith has been vehemently expressing his dismay with Kerr’s decision since the summertime. From where I sit, his argument still lacks some nuance. He does cite that Kerr allowed Stephen Curry to work through his shooting woes during the Olympic run. What he neglects to highlight is that Curry is the most prolific shooter of all time. I know that Smith knows that too. But more importantly, Curry’s shot needs to be respected, even if it isn’t falling. So that means he still puts pressure on the defense even through his woes.
As I watched Tatum throughout the Olympic run, when he did get minutes, they weren’t too good. What I remember was him looking to get into a rhythm, which is understandable. But within that, I remember turnovers galore. I remember missed shots. With that type of cocktail, I believe Kerr thought that this was damaging the team’s pace. It was more valuable to gamble on Curry finding his shot, because of the defensive pressure that would come with. And wouldn’t you believe it, Team USA won gold with Kerr’s philosophy.
I’m a huge proponent of saying that you cannot argue with the results. Our result was gold. Now would I be bothered if I didn’t get much burn as an NBA champion on Team USA? Yes. But the bad juju aimed at Kerr’s way, I find to be unwarranted. We’re in this society that we know has become hypersensitive. In many respects, this is for good reason. But I won’t accept that there was any malice in Kerr’s decision to not play Tatum much. If Tatum performed better with the time that he had, I am confident he would’ve seen more time.
When stakes are high, executive decisions are necessary. To me, that’s the longer short of it all. It isn’t lost on me that competitors need to give themselves reasons to be frustrated. It helps them set goals for the next season. But I have had enough of this narrative that Tatum was so wronged. He didn’t play too well, the coaching staff went in a different direction. Regardless, Nov. 6 marks the first meeting of the Warriors and Celtics this season. This storyline will come to a head then, and we’ll see what Tatum has coming for Kerr. Until then, let’s remind ourselves of the performances we did see from Tatum in Paris.
