Celtics Rumors: Joe Mazzulla Stood By Jayson Tatum During Olympics

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum admitted the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics provided a humbling experience for the NBA's all-time highest-paid player ($315 million), however, the 27-year-old wasn't alone once head coach Joe Mazzulla dropped everything and rushed to check in on the underutilized five-time All-Star.

"Even when Tatum was struggling during the Olympics, Mazzulla flew out to France to kind of make sure everything was OK," The Ringer's Bill Simmons said on "The Bill Simmons Podcast." "That guy is locked in, knows his roster. I think the jump he made from Year 1 to Year 2 has been astounding. People love that dude."

Tatum, alongside Celtics teammates Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, joined USA Basketball's mega-talented roster headlined by LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. But despite being just a little over a month after winning the NBA Finals, Tatum wasn't treated like the well-established star he's been for the past few years. Team USA head coach Steve Kerr left Tatum to register two DNPs, including one during a nearly-blown semifinal battle against Nikola Jokić and Team Serbia. Kerr didn't provide an elaborate explanation for Tatum's lack of usage, leaving him treated like an unworthy benchwarmer outshined by the NBA's brightest stars -- several of which don't outrank Tatum.

"It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I'm not going to make any decision off emotions," Tatum said after USA's gold medal win over France, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "If you asked me right now if I was going to play in 2028 -- it is four years from now and I (would have) to take time and think about that. So I'm not going to make any decision based off how this experience was or how I felt individually."

Tatum averaged 5.3 points, 1.3 assists and one steal, logging 17.7 minutes throughout the Olympics, shooting 0-for-16 on jump shots, which also included an ugly off-the-mark 3-point attempt that ricocheted off the side of the backboard against South Sudan. It's easy to point the finger at Tatum for the shooting slump, but even easier to highlight Kerr's subpar coaching job in amplifying the Olympic stage pressure on Tatum's shoulders. Kerr's lousy rotations -- Tatum aside -- threatened USA Basketball's gold medal-or-bust bid, leading the over-credited NBA head coach to retire from the Olympics.

Evidently, Mazzulla's loyalty knows no limits, whether it's the regular season, postseason, offseason or 3,400-plus miles from Boston in the Paris Olympics.