Jayson Tatum opened up about his tough experience at the Olympics, picking up two DNPs throughout the tournament and just 11 minutes of court time in the gold medal game against France.
Tatum says his limited playing time will not affect his decision on whether to play in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“It was difficult on the court, but there is no decision I will make without emotions,” said Tatum. “If you ask me right now if I'm going to play in 2028 – that's four years from now again [would have] take time and think about that. So there's no decision I'm going to make based on what this experience was like or how I felt as an individual.”
Tatum added that many people have reached his limited role.
“A lot of people have been texting me and reaching out and saying 'Make sure this feeds you,' which I appreciate. A lot of people care about me,” said Tatum. “I think the hard thing is yes, you can use things to blow you up, but I'm still human.
“…Part of being at this point, I've sacrificed myself and put a lot into this game and I'm working really hard. So now it's hard. You're not worried about oiling me in November either [whenever] season, but like I said, it's something I'll take away from this and learn from this experience. It's really challenging and humbling at the same time.”
Team USA coach Steve Kerr has emphasized that his decision to reduce Tatum's playing time was driven by matchups, not play.
Tatum finished the Olympics with 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He shot 38.1 percent from the field and missed all of his three-point attempts.
READ MORE: Why Jayson Tatum Did Not Play In Team USA's Win Over Serbia
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