The Tatum-Kerr drama explained ahead of the Celtics-Warriors showdown originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
When the Golden State Warriors come to TD Garden, the loudest boos are usually reserved for instigator Draymond Green.
But there will be a new Public Enemy No. 1 in Boston on Wednesday, and he won’t be wearing a uniform.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr got on the bad side of Celtics fans this summer for his (mis)management of Jayson Tatum at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. As head coach of Team USA, Kerr bafflingly left Tatum on the fringes of his 10-man rotation, playing a total of 71 minutes against the recent NBA champion – the lightest workload of any player on the roster outside of Tyrese Haliburton – and outright benching Tatum for both of the team’s games against Serbia.
Why did Kerr limit Tatum’s minutes in Paris? What did Tatum think about it and how did his Celtics teammates and head coach react? Here’s a refresher on everything that’s happened since the summer, and a reminder of why the C’s should have extra motivation ahead of Wednesday’s matchup with Kerr’s Warriors (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston).
Kerr benches Tatum twice during the Olympic game
The controversy all started in Team USA’s very first match against Serbia, where Tatum didn’t leave the bench after a big win.
“I felt like an idiot if I didn’t play it, but you know, a 40-minute game, you can’t play more than ten minutes.” [players]”Kerr said after the game.
Tatum started the next game against South Sudan, but played only 17 minutes and scored only four points. He dropped a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in 23 minutes against Puerto Rico in the next game, but added just four points in 20 minutes in the quarterfinals against Brazil before suffering another DNP in the semifinals against Serbia.
Kerr offers a puzzling explanation for Tatum’s lack of playing time
After Team USA’s narrow victory over Serbia in the semifinals, Kerr wrote that Tatum was not playing with a “math problem.”
“It’s not what I don’t see from Jayson; it’s what I’ve seen from the other guys,” Kerr said. “As I’ve said many times throughout this tournament and over the last six weeks, it’s just hard to play against 11 people, even in an NBA game.
“So it’s not about what Jayson does or doesn’t do. It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin (Durant) has filled in since he came back from his injury.”
Kerr’s strategy worked, but just barely: Team USA trailed Serbia by as many as 17 points before rallying to win by four, then requiring a barrage of Stephen Curry 3-pointers to outlast France in the gold medal game , where Tatum scored just two points over 11 minutes.
(For what it’s worth, Kerr had no problem solving that “math problem” with his Warriors: Kerr deployed a 12-man rotation in Golden State’s first game of the 2024-25 season.)
Bob Cousy sounds angry at Kerr
Many current players, former players and members of the media came to Tatum’s defense following his surprising lack of playing time. But Celtics legend Bob Cousy delivered one of the most memorable criticisms of Kerr shortly after Tatum’s second DNP against Serbia in the semifinals.
“This isn’t just a snub. This is an embarrassment to that poor child all over the world,” Cousy told The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy.
“…Tatum is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this month. All the pundits I’ve read lately have him in the top five, and sometimes No. 1 in the (expletive) world. Now Kerr tells the world that He disagrees. If you can’t find five minutes in a 40 minute game to play against someone on the team without hurting yourself…
“If he doesn’t play Tatum at all, the world will say, ‘Not only is he not in the top five, he’s not good enough to get into a close game.’ I can’t figure out Kerr’s mindset, and he’s done it twice, so he clearly feels strongly about it. He must think Tatum is a liability, and I don’t understand how he can feel that way and anything about basketball know.’
Tatum reflects on ‘tough personal experience’
The Celtics star did his best to take the high road, but clearly didn’t enjoy playing a limited role in Paris.
“You feel like you deserve to play and the competitor in you wants to play,” Tatum said after the gold medal game. “And (Steve Kerr) is the coach for a reason. He makes those decisions.
“It was a difficult personal experience on the field, but I’m not going to make decisions based on emotions. I keep trying to say, I’m trying not to make it about me. I know this is the storyline.” the last few days, but we won. We won a gold medal, and that was the most important thing.”
Tatum later called the experience “challenging” and “humbling” and admitted that he heard a lot of the noise surrounding his lack of playing time.
“It was a lot. In the age of social media, you see everything,” Tatum said. “You see all the tweets and the people on the podcasts and people on TV giving their opinions on whether they thought it was a good decision or whether it was an outrageous decision or whatever.
“Obviously I wanted to contribute more, and I’ve never been in (this) situation. I started playing basketball at (age) 3 at the YMCA, and I never not played, so it was different and it was a challenge .”
Mazzulla responds to the brand on Tatum’s benching
Leave it to Joe Mazzulla to be happy about Tatum’s setback.
Tatum told reporters at Media Day that his head coach “was probably the happiest person” after watching Tatum play sparingly in the Olympics. “If you know Joe, it makes sense,” Tatum added.
Mazzulla later explained that he considered Tatum’s Olympic experience a “gift” because it would mean a new challenge for the Celtics star after helping Boston win a championship.
“I thought it was great that he has something he’s going to work towards. And sometimes, when you’re successful, you don’t have the next hunger right in front of you.
“Sometimes you have to wait for it. Sometimes it’s a loss, sometimes it’s a losing streak, and he was able to pull that off right in front of him. So I thought it was a gift. It doesn’t mean he should do that.” I didn’t want to take away from how that might affect him in real time because I wasn’t there. But as his coach and as someone who really cares about him, I thought it was great because it gives him something to work towards.”
Kerr sarcastically sets expectations for C’s-Warriors in Boston
Kerr is apparently well aware that he will be public enemy No. 1 on Wednesday night. When asked how TD Garden fans would greet him during Golden State’s only game in Boston this season, the Warriors head coach offered a generous dose of sarcasm.
“I’m excited. I think the fans are really going to cheer me on,” Kerr said Tuesday. “Because you know what I did last summer? I played against Jrue Holiday and Derrick White a lot, and given that both guys are Celtics and the fact that Tatum also played a big role in the proceedings – all three guys, important factors, and we won the gold medal.
“This is America. It’s the day after Election Day. I think Celtics fans will welcome me with open arms, and maybe even bouquets of roses. … sincerely.”
