On Wednesday night, the atmosphere at the TD Garden was tense. The Golden State Warriors, the same team that lifted the title in this building in 2022, were returning. The narrative boiled further with the situation of Steve Kerr and Jayson Tatum at the Olympics. When announced, the whole crowd joined in unison to boo the nine-time champion. The 19,580 spectators all expected the need for ‘revenge’ from their cornerstone after his Paris humiliation.

However, in his mind, there was nothing remotely close to hostility toward Kerr. Tatum just wanted to “try to be the best player I can be,”. His performance reflected the same. The 2024 champion dropped 32 points, a game-high to go with four rebounds and shooting an efficient 50% from the field.

The only illustration of frustration from Jayson Tatum came after the game when he stormed off the floor without shaking Steve Kerr’s hands. However, that can simply be alluded to him grimacing over the painful loss. Celebrated host Dan Patrick spoke about Tatum’s muted feelings towards the Warriors HC and spoke a thought that may be looming on many minds now.

“I mean, it’s a tough question to answer and as you could see, Jayson Tatum gave him nothing. He does want to put this behind him. I don’t think he wants to have this always lingering,” he said on the Dan Patrick Show. He didn’t exempt the possibility of it happening with another game against the Warriors in the schedule for the Shamrocks.

But just by looking at Tatum’s demeanor, Patrick didn’t feel he sought motivation from any of Steve Kerr’s decisions in Paris. “Last night, pretty much, in my opinion, put an end to it,” he opinionated. Yet, even though there is no animosity, Kerr still offered an explanation of his mindset during the Olympics.

Benching Jayson Tatum wasn’t fun for Steve Kerr

Prior to the Warriors facing the Celtics on Wednesday night, Steve Kerr had to field some questions about his relationship with Tatum. Notably, during the Olympics, prioritizing matchups due to the knockout nature of the tournament, he admitted to feeling like “an idiot” for not playing the Celtics superstar fresh off a championship.

He benched him for two games, both against Serbia where there was a need to guard Nikola Jokic, the enforcer. Hence, aside from his three-guard lineup, he chose to have Bam Adebayo and Kevin Durant as the backup forwards to help stop the Joker. One thing he did assure is that there was nothing intentional about his decision regarding Tatum,

“I don’t give it a whole lot of thought other than I didn’t enjoy not playing Jayson against Serbia, not playing Joel (Embiid) against South Sudan,” he said about the same. Rather, he commended the five-time All-Star and Team USA’s humility in collaborating without their egos possibly playing a disturbing factor.

“Those are not fun decisions, but our guys were all amazing. They committed to each other, they committed to winning the gold medal. They brought the gold home for their country,” the revered head coach concluded.

For Jayson Tatum, the Olympics was a challenging experience. He hadn’t experienced being the last guy on the bench since taking his first jump shot. However, he represented the praise Kerr laid on the gold-winning contingent. “I didn’t have an attitude… I stayed ready and did what was asked of me and I won a gold medal, right?” he said of his experience. 

They most likely won’t have the chance to make amends as a combination. Kerr is set to retire from his position as Team USA head coach. Tatum could very well be one of the central figures in the 2028 Olympics. Although his emphatic Tokyo Olympics remains a highlight, do you think Tatum will attain redemption for Paris in LA or choose not to play? Let us know your views in the comments below.