Team USA is set to compete against France for a gold medal in men’s basketball on Saturday — and the Duke Men’s Basketball social media accounts are petitioning for Jayson Tatum to start “to help deal with France’s size.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25565350/usa_today_23949091.jpg)
Of course, France boasts the uncanny force that is 7-foot-3 San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama . Team USA struggled to contain Serbian big man Nikola Jokic in the semifinal, so perhaps Tatum can assists in that respect.
“Gold medal game today!” they wrote. “Just the admin but we’d start [Jayson Tatum] to help deal with France’s size.”
It’s not really Tatum’s size that Duke is hoping gets him on the floor in the gold medal game.
The Booston Celtics star’s playing time has been a hotly contested debate since Team USA began their Olympic journey late last month. In the opening game of group stage vs. Serbia, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr didn’t play Tatum once during the game. This came just over three weeks after Tatum became the highest paid player in NBA history on top of winning his first NBA title in June.
Tatum and the Celtics closed in on a five-year, $314 million super-max extension after the championship win. During his championship season, Tatum put up 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and a steal. Those statistics were then 25.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists over a 16-3 run during the 2024 NBA Playoffs, including their 4-1 series win in the finals over the Dallas Mavericks.
He had since cracked the rotation for Team USA, however — but didn’t play a single minute against Serbia in the semifinals. Team USA defeated the Serbian national team in comeback fashion with the outcome not becoming obvious until the final buzzer. In their first matchup, Team USA won by 26 points.
Tatum went on to play 17 minutes for Team USA in their second game against South Sudan. He scored four points and grabbed five rebounds during the outing. Heading into the semifinals, Tatums has averaged 19.9 minutes per game (that he’s entered), while scored 6.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals.
In the 2020 Olympics that happened a year later due to the pandemic, he was the second-leading scorer behind Durant after averaging 15.2 points on 49.3% shooting overall and 44.7% from three in his six games off the bench.
The opening tip between the United States and France is set for 3:30 p.m. ET as Team USA seeks its fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics.
