While the United States men's national team completed a thrilling comeback over Serbia in the Olympic semifinals, Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum was completely out of the rotation for the second time in the tournament.
Tatum's playing time has been a major talking point throughout the Olympics. He received no playing time in Team USA's convincing group play win over Serbia and again was not subbed in during the semifinals despite the team trailing by as many as 17 points in the game.
USA head coach Steve Kerr has maintained that Tatum's role was minimized due to matchups, but many have speculated whether an injury is keeping Tatum off the court.
Here is what we know about Tatum's health and how it's impacted his time at the Olympics with Team USA.
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Is Jayson Tatum injured?
Tatum is not injured, according to his mother, Brandy Cole.
After Thursday's thriller, legendary ESPN analyst Dick Vitale took to X (formerly Twitter) to ask whether or not Tatum's lack of playing time was due to injury, prompting Tatum's mother to respond.
"No he not," Cole posted. "But if you find out what’s going on please let me know - unacceptable and makes NO SENSE."
No he not. But if you find out what’s going on please let me know - unacceptable and makes NO SENSE. https://t.co/vtz1W398XJ
— BCole_Esq (@Brandy_N_Cole) August 9, 2024
The account is confirmed to be Tatum's mother, as he's tagged several posts on the platform mentioning that handle.
Like any proud mother, Cole has not been shy in her support of her son, reposting an X from Barstool Sports' Dan Greenberg that challenges the notion that Kerr should reprise his role as head coach of the U.S. national team at the 2028 Olympics.
Tatum, 26, played a major role under Gregg Popovich during the Tokyo Olympics and would presumably be a key national team member in four years as veterans on the 2024 team may no longer be available to play.
In addition to his minimized role in Team USA's rotation, Tatum has seen a sharp decrease in shooting efficiency that has caused injury speculation. Since the calendar flipped to April, Tatum's 3-point shooting has taken a decline that might suggest he is battling an injury there.
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Jayson Tatum shooting splits
Tatum's shooting efficiency has noticeably dipped since the NBA Playoffs began, as he shot 28.3 percent from 3-point range during the postseason.
Since putting on a USA uniform this summer, Tatum has yet to connect from distance, shooting a combined 0-of-9 from long range in Olympic exhibitions and the Olympic tournament.
| Regular season | NBA Playoffs | USA Showcase | Olympics | |
| FG% | 47.1 | 42.7 | 46.7 | 38.9 |
| 3FG% | 37.6 | 28.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| FT% | 83.3 | 86.1 | 80.0 | 83.3 |
Tatum appeared in 74 of a possible 82 games during the 2023-24 regular season.
MORE: Full stats from Team USA's time at the Paris Olympics
Jayson Tatum stats at 2024 Olympics
- 19.9 minutes per game
- 6.3 points per game
- 6.0 rebounds per game
- 2.0 assists per game
- 1.0 steals per game
- 0.7 blocks per game
- 0.7 turnovers per game
- 38.9 percent field goal shooting
- 83.3 percent free throw shooting
