Celtics’ Jayson Tatum says Joe Mazzulla was ‘probably the happiest person’ with Olympic benching

BOSTON — Missing out on the Finals MVP award and getting benched in the Olympics must have been challenging for Jayson Tatum to handle.

Still, he said Tuesday morning, Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla loved to see the All-NBA forward gifted potential sources of motivation.

“Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and that I didn’t play in two of the games in the Olympics,” Tatum said at the Celtics’ media day. “So, that was odd, but if you know Joe it makes sense.”

Jayson Tatum: “I talked to Joe a lot. Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and I didn’t play in two of the games at the Olympics. That was odd. But if you know Joe, it makes sense.”

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) September 24, 2024

The Celtics won Tatum’s first NBA championship in June by beating the Dallas Mavericks in five games, but the Finals MVP award went to Jaylen Brown. Tatum later captured an Olympic gold medal with Team USA, but received two DNP-CDs (did not play due to coach’s decision) during the tournament. Steve Kerr’s decision to bench Tatum was surprising given the 26-year-old’s pedigree.

Mazzulla must believe the experiences will motivate Tatum.

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“Did I need any motivation coming into the season?” Tatum said. “No. I’m not going to give anybody in particular credit that that motivated me to come into the season. It was a unique circumstance, something I (hadn’t) experienced before in my playing career, but I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason. I was coming off a championship, the highest of the highs, the cover of 2K and a new contract, and then that happened.

“And whatever the reason is, I haven’t figured out yet, but I am a believer that everything does happen for a reason. But it was a good experience. We won a gold medal, I won my second one. I was around some of the best players ever to play the game on a daily basis, built some friendships and was able to bring my family out there and enjoy the Olympics as a whole. So that was a plus for me for sure.”

While Tatum’s comments on the Olympics echoed his sentiments from his conversation with The Athletic in August, one thing that changed was the state of his jump shot. During the summer, Tatum attributed his poor shooting in the postseason and Olympics to a blend of being out of rhythm and the law of averages. Tatum shot 28.3 percent from deep during the postseason and then missed every jump shot he took in France.

But on Tuesday, he detailed some of the mechanical work he has done with his skills trainer to get his shot back on track. Tatum said he has made changes to a variety of aspects from hand placement on the ball to keeping his shoulders forward.

“There (are) some things I could’ve fixed, but just in the midst of the playoffs trying to manage your rest and things like that, it’s a little tougher,” Tatum said. “I was still playing well, just wasn’t shooting the ball as well as I would have liked. And obviously, we were winning, so it wasn’t the time or place to try to fix things in that moment.”

Boston teammates Derrick White and Jrue Holiday also won gold medals with Team USA.

Like Tatum, Brown could potentially use the Olympics as fuel. Coming off a playoff run during which he earned the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and the Finals MVP, Brown was passed over for a spot on the Olympic roster even after Kawhi Leonard left the team over the summer. Brown laughed when the first question for him on media day addressed the snub.

“Goddamn,” Brown said. “We can’t warm up a little? S—.”

Brown proceeded to suggest he kept the decision in mind over the offseason.

“I’m extremely motivated for obvious reasons,” Brown said, “and I’m ready to get after it.”

“I’m ready to go,” he added. “I’m excited about being back. The past is the past but I’m ready to get after it, lead our guys, get the guys, build some team chemistry, not skip any steps and just set the tone for another year again.”

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(Photo: Maddie Malhotra / Getty Images)