Jayson Tatum’s minutes became a hot topic during the U.S. men’s basketball team’s run to Olympic gold in Paris.
In Saturday’s gold-medal win over France, 98-87, Tatum’s minutes were limited, but he did see action. The Boston Celtics forward played a shade over 11 minutes, finishing with 2 points and 3 rebound while shooting 1-for-3 from the field.
Tatum did not play any minutes against Serbia in the semifinals or pool play.
What other US players didn’t play in the final?
Tatum wasn’t the only Celtic to receive limited playing time on Saturday. Guard Derrick White, who was a late addition to the team to replace Kawhi Leonard, did not see any time on Saturday. He had played at least seven minutes in each of the US’s other five games.
Jrue Holiday, a guard for the Celtics, played 18 minutes and scored 6 points.
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers also did not get on the floor. Like Tatum, Haliburton did not see any time in both games against Serbia.
Jayson Tatum’s stats at the Olympics
Tatum averaged 4.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while playing in five of the USA’s seven games. He shot just 38 percent from the floor. Tatum’s best game came against Puerto Rico as he scored 10 points to go with 3 assists and 10 rebounds during the group phase.
Tatum shot 0-for-4 on 3-pointers.
Jayson Tatum’s Olympic history
The 2024 Olympics were a stark contrast to Tatum’s first appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021. Tatum averaged 15.2 points per game as USA won gold.
Tatum was second on the team in scoring behind Kevin Durant, who has now won four gold medals. Durant is the first player to win four golds in men’s basketball.
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Who led Team USA to gold?
After struggling early in the tournament, Steph Curry was red hot during the semifinal and finals, tally 60 points in the biggest games of the Olympics. On Saturday, Curry scored 24 points, all coming off his eight 3-pointers.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker both scored 15 points and Lebron James scored 14 points.
Former Boston Celtic starred for France
Guerschon Yabusele, who played for the Celtics from 2017-2019, was a breakout star for France. In Saturday’s loss, Yabusele scored 20 points, highlighted by a big slam dunk over Lebron James.
Over the Olympics, Yabusele averaged 14 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Yabusele was selected with 16th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by Boston. He has played professionally overseas since being waived by the Celtics in 2019.
Who won medals at the Paris Olympics in men’s basketball?
USA defeated France in the gold-medal game on Saturday to capture their fifth consecutive gold. In 2021, the US also defeated France in the final.
In the bronze-medal game, Serbia defeated Germany, 93-83. Nikola Jokic posted a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the win.
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