Celtics' Jayson Tatum gets eye-opening Charles Barkley Olympics admission
Today at 09:11 PM
When Team USA head coach Steve Kerr decided to sparingly play Jayson Tatum during the Paris Summer Olympics, he opened himself up to a season’s worth of ridicule. Whenever the Boston Celtics star wing receives an accolade, the jokes and taunts come pouring out.
Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley took the opportunity to fire a verbal shot at the Golden State Warriors HC after Tatum was officially announced as a starter in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.
“Great player. just not good enough to play in the Olympics,” Barkley remarked on “Inside the NBA.” “One of the five best in the East, but not good enough to represent his country.”
"Great player. just not good enough to play in the Olympics… one of the five best in the East, but not good enough to represent his country."
Charles Barkley after Jayson Tatum was named a starter for the NBA All-Star game pic.twitter.com/XrQu30qy3S
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 24, 2025
Jayson Tatum, Celtics continue to be tasked with proving themselves
When The Round Mound of Rebound feels vindicated, he is often extra cheeky. Many Celtics fans echo his snark, believing Kerr’s minutes distribution to be indefensible. Their ire was reinvigorated when Boston faced Golden State on Monday night. Chatter intensified as neither Tatum and Jaylen Brown appeared to shake Kerr’s hand after the C’s 125-85 victory. The highly decorated coach refuted any notion of bad blood after the game, though, revealing that he spoke with Tatum.
Regardless of where the two men stand, a large portion of the basketball world will not forget seeing the three-time All-NBA First-Team selection and reigning champion sit on the bench for extended stretches. If the Celtics reclaim their dominant form and win a second consecutive title, Green Teamers will sarcastically thank Steve Kerr for lighting a fire under the entire squad.
He has other matters to worry about at the moment, however. And so does Boston. Motivation is an essential component of any championship pursuit, but the Celtics must constructively harness it. They have recently shown some vulnerability, suffering blowout losses to the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors and collapsing versus the Atlanta Hawks all within the last two weeks. Tatum has battled his own inconsistencies during that stretch, shooting below 45 percent in four of the last seven games.
But the six-time All-Star constantly finds ways to produce even when he is cold offensively. He is averaging a balanced stat line that includes 27.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Jayson Tatum and the Celtics will keep trying to dismiss the remaining questions surrounding them, as they strive towards immortality.
Boston goes for its third win in a row when it squares off with its historic rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, Thursday night in Crypto.com Arena.
The post Celtics’ Jayson Tatum gets eye-opening Charles Barkley Olympics admission appeared first on ClutchPoints.
