Celtics legend calls out Kerr over Tatum’s playing time at Olympics

Celtics legend calls out Kerr over Tatum’s playing time at Olympics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Celtics fans aren’t the only people confused and/or upset over Jayson Tatum‘s lack of consistent playing time for Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

One of the franchise’s greatest players isn’t happy about it, either.

Hall of Fame point guard Bob Cousy — a six-time champion and former NBA MVP — spoke to Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe after the United States’ semifinals win over Serbia on Thursday and expressed his frustration over head coach Steve Kerr giving Tatum zero minutes in that game.

“This isn’t just a snub,” Cousy said from his Worcester home Friday morning, per Shaughnessy. “This is an embarrassment for that poor kid all over the (expletive) world. The Olympics have gotten that big. Everyone’s going to think that there’s something wrong this this kid.”

Cousy later added: “I don’t know Steve Kerr, and everything I’ve ever heard about him has been positive. But there’s such a difference between playing a guy for a few minutes as opposed to not playing him at all. And now he has doubled down on it.

“Tatum is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this month. Any experts that I’ve read lately have chosen him in the top five, and sometimes No. 1 in the (expletive) world. Now Kerr is telling the world that he doesn’t agree. In a 40-minute game, if you can’t find five minutes to play somebody on the team without hurting yourself …”

Tatum recently became an NBA champion, and he has been voted a first team All-NBA player three consecutive seasons. There’s no rule that says he has to start every game, play 20-plus minutes or even be in the closing lineup. But to not give a player of Tatum’s caliber any playing time just doesn’t add up.

“Not playing Tatum at all says to the world, ‘Not only is he not top five, he’s not good enough to get into a close game.’ I can’t figure out Kerr’s thinking, and he’s done it twice, so he obviously feels strongly about it,” Cousy told Shaughnessy. “He must think Tatum is a detriment, and I don’t see how he can feel that way and know anything about basketball.”

Tatum’s resume in high-pressure moments speaks it for itself. He has a long list of great performances in NBA playoff situations.

He scored 46 points in an elimination game on the road versus the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals. In the 2023 playoffs he set a Game 7 record with 51 points against the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals. Tatum scored 31 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds in the clinching game of the 2024 NBA Finals two months ago. There are several other examples, too.

Not playing Tatum for a single second against Serbia made absolutely no sense in a game of that magnitude, especially when Team USA was struggling to score and defend the 3-point line.

The last time Team USA won the Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball was in 2021. Tatum scored 19 points in 21 minutes off the bench in a victory over France. So you would think Tatum will see the floor Saturday in Paris against France, but after watching Kerr’s perplexing lineup combinations all tournament, it would be foolish to assume anything.