Kevin Garnett shared his view on Jayson Tatum being reduced to a secondary role in Team USA's Olympic squad.
Many Boston Celtics fans were outraged when Jayson Tatum was given little playing time at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But former Celtics player Kevin Garnett thinks otherwise. Garnett saw something positive when Tatum became a backup player.
"It was great that he didn't have to play a lot of minutes, man," Garnett told All the Smoke Productions.
"He's coming off of the Finals… I'm glad they didn't need Jayson Tatum. I'm glad he got to actually rest and chill."
Tatum won his second Olympic gold. But his role in the two Olympics was different. He went from the United States' second-highest scorer at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to a reserve player in Paris. The Duke University player averaged 17.7 minutes in six games with only 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game.
He did not even play (DNP) in two games against Serbia.
"When you win, you get a shortened season, while everybody else gets four, five months off. You probably get what, two, two and a half? And then it's right back in the lab. He had to turn around and win the NBA championship," Garnett continued.
Turn around, what two, two and a half weeks, three weeks, start preparing for the USA, and then had to show up to the training camp for that. I can only imagine how difficult that was for him."
After completing the Olympics, NBA players will prepare for training camp in September. Then face the pre-season and the new season rolls on October 22, 2024.
