Jayson Tatum has been a polarizing player during his NBA career.
He has shown many flashes of brilliance and is considered a top-five player by some fans and analysts.
However, others have cited their concern for Tatum moving forward, especially in crunch-time situations and in the playoffs.
Doug Gottlieb recently talked about this on his show on FOX Sports Radio, particularly as it relates to Tatum’s potential playing time on Team USA.
Team USA is preparing for the Olympics, hoping to take home the gold with a new grouping of the nation’s top players.
While Tatum has earned a spot on the team, Gottlieb has doubts about his role as a starter.
“This is not me telling you Jayson Tatum stinks, but if you had to choose in a game today if you’d start him on USA Basketball… I wouldn’t,” Gottlieb said.
“This is not me telling you Jayson Tatum stinks, but if you had to choose in a game today if you’d start him on Team USA…I wouldn’t…”
🎙️@GottliebShow disputes Jayson Tatum, who says winning the NBA title ends elite debate pic.twitter.com/MXWnDcoEon
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) July 10, 2024
Gottlieb later said, “I actually think it settles the debate, as to who won, was it your team, or was it you individually?”
In these comments, Gottlieb says that he still believes that Tatum is a good player who can make an impact on the Celtics and Team USA, but he doesn’t necessarily consider him a starter on this team.
Team USA resembles an All-Star team in a lot of ways, and it is comprised of the best basketball talent that the United States has to offer.
Is he one of the five best American-born players in the NBA?
Gottlieb doesn’t think so, and it will be interesting to see how much playing time he gets for this team down the stretch.
NEXT:
Pistons Have Claimed Veteran Center Off Free Agency Waivers
