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Jayson Tatum's Playing Time In Olympics Draws Comparisons To Christian Laettner In 1992

Shandel Richardson

Jul 29, 1992; Badalona, SPAIN; FILE PHOTO; Christian Laettner (USA) in action against team Germany during the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games at Pavell Olimpic de Badalona. Mandatory Credit: George Long-USA TODAY NETWORK
Jul 29, 1992; Badalona, SPAIN; FILE PHOTO; Christian Laettner (USA) in action against team Germany during the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games at Pavell Olimpic de Badalona. Mandatory Credit: George Long-USA TODAY NETWORK / George Long-USA TODAY Sports

These days. Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and former NBA player Christian Laettner have more in common than just attending Duke.

With Tatum dealing with playing time issues for Team USA in the Olympics, he is drawing comparisons to Laettner. Tatum is averaging 19.9 minutes in five games, including twice not getting off the bench.


“It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson. It’s what I’ve seen from the other guys,” Team USA coach Steve Kerr said. “Like I’ve said many times during this tournament and this last six weeks, it’s just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game.”

Tatum is getting the DNP-CD treatment despite leading the Celtics to the NBA title last season and receiving MVP consideration. Laettner's minutes were more acceptable because he was the lone college player on the 1992 team that featured Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Laettner averaged just 7.6 minutes in six games in Barcelona.

While Laettner's absence was more intentional because it was the first year NBA players were allowed in the Olympics, Kerr still has to defend his decision on Tatum.

“It’s not about anything Jayson is doing or not doing,” Kerr said. “It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything.”

Regardless, the link between Tatum and Laettner is here to stay.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com