Jayson handled things so well – Steve Kerr on giving limited game time to Boston Celtics player in Paris Olympics

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr came under the scanner from many basketball experts and Boston Celtics fans when he gave limited opportunities to NBA champion Jayson Tatum in the Paris Olympics. However, Kerr feels Tatum handled things well after the USA won their fifth consecutive Gold medal at the Games.

Tatum played in four of the USA’s six games in Paris. 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 and played for 11 minutes. The 26-year-old scored two points and three rebounds in his short appearance.

“I think Boston Celtics fans are going to be all over me. [laughs]. That’s fine,” said Kerr.

“Jayson handled things so well. Then obviously it became a media subject, but he couldn’t have handled it better,” added Kerr via NBA.com.

Tatum recently 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.

“A lot of people text me and reached out and said ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate. There’s a lot of people that care about me,” Tatum said. “I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I’m still human.

“…Part of being in the moment, I’ve sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard. So in the moment it is tough. You’re not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or [whenever] the season is, but like I said, it’s something I’m going to take away from this and learn from this experience. It’s definitely challenging and humbling at the same time.”

USA registered a 98-87 win against France in the final.