"He knows what it is"- Jrue Holiday comments on Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum's lack of Olympic minutes
There has been a lot of discussion surrounding Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum's lack of playing minutes at the Paris 2024 Olympics. It has garnered varying opinions from analysts and former athletes as Tatum is coming off his first NBA Championship.
During an appearance at a Raising Cane's event, Jrue Holiday shared his stance on the matter.
"I think everybody knows JT," Holiday said. "He's the ultimate professional. He knows what it is, what the ultimate goal is. I don't think he needed any encouragement. I think it's more so like staying ready whenever it's his time to be called."
In the four games he played during the Olympics, Tatum averaged 5.3 points (38.1% shooting), 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He experienced two DNPs in the Serbia matchups and inconsistent rotation minutes from being a starter to coming off the bench.
Despite the situation, the Celtics superstar remained headstrong throughout the entire international competition. It is a testament to the kind of professional Jayson Tatum is, especially considering how stacked his resume already is compared to other stars in the league at just the age of 26.
Carmelo Anthony praises Jayson Tatum amid playing time controversy with Team USA
In a team filled with future Hall of Famers and elite superstars, Jayson Tatum has an impressive body of work to back up his place on this year's USA Basketball roster. However, the quest for gold was so important that coach Steve Kerr felt the need to sit him out in two games for matchup reasons.
Nonetheless, former Team USA player Carmelo Anthony was not too pleased with how that was handled. He praised Tatum on the "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast.
"I want these young athletes out here to know s*** is real out here," Anthony said. "... This man has one of the best resumes over the four or five years out of any player in any sport. What he went through I want everybody to see that s*** like that s*** hurt to go through that on national television around the world. ... He was resilient."
Considering the kind of status Jayson Tatum already had in the league at the time, it was something that not many expected would happen. It was also a reminder for professional athletes to always remain ready and be professional at all times.