Celtics

“It’s a weird rhythm thing being with Team USA; you never exactly know when you’re gonna get the ball.”

Jayson Tatum cited being in a “weird rhythm” when discussing his performance at the Paris Olympics.

“I know I didn’t make a jump shot when I was with Team USA,” the Celtics star told the New York Times. “I don’t know, law of averages. It’s a weird rhythm thing being with Team USA; you never exactly know when you’re gonna get the ball. But that’s part of it. You sign up for that because I’ve done it before (at the Tokyo Games).”

This comes after Team USA coach Steve Kerr’s decision to bench Tatum during both of their matchups against Serbia, sparking backlash from fans and media. Kerr later explained that his decision had to do with the short length of Olympic basketball games — at 40 minutes — and having to balance a roster of 11 players during that time.

“In the age of social media, you see everything,” Tatum told the New York Times. “You see all the tweets and the people on the podcasts and people on TV giving their opinion on whether they thought it was a good decision or it was an outrageous decision or whatever. Obviously, I wanted to contribute more, and I’ve never been in (this) situation.”

Despite also helping Team USA win gold at the 2020 Games, the Celtics champion played 11 minutes in the final against France and earned 21 points over four Olympic games. Tatum also averaged 5.3 ppg and 17.7 mpg.

“I think everybody knows JT — he’s the ultimate professional,” fellow Celtics teammate Jrue Holiday said Wednesday. “He already knows what it is and what the ultimate goal is.”

Holiday will join Tatum and Derrick White, who also played for Team USA, as the Celtics take on the Nuggets in their first preseason game on Oct. 4.