Jayson Tatum spent the week leading up to Team USA’s first scrimmage carrying over his message from the Celtics’ championship season. It doesn’t matter who starts, he said, and if the talented collective the Americans organized to avenge last summer’s poor World Cup showing could all sacrifice, they’d win another gold medal.
Despite Kevin Durant (calf) sitting out and Kawhi Leonard backing out of the Olympics on Wednesday, Tatum came off the bench in favor of Jrue Holiday in Team USA’s first exhibition leading up to the Olympics. While Holiday played a role reminiscent of the one he adapted to in Boston, Tatum thrived in an even more condensed version, attempting seven shots and focusing on defense, passing and driving.