Joe Mazzulla explains why he was happy Jayson Tatum got benched by Team USA

BOSTON — This summer was a weird one for Jayson Tatum. On the one hand, he led the Boston Celtics to their first championship in 16 years. He graced the cover of NBA 2K25 and Sports Illustrated and won his second gold medal. On the other hand, the media threw his name around in an unflattering way.

While he managed to bring a title to Boston, he wasn’t the NBA Finals MVP. He didn’t even win Eastern Conference finals MVP. Both of those honors went to Jaylen Brown. And though he won a gold medal, the Celtics star was benched in two of Team USA’s six Olympic games. All of those snubs caused quite a stir.

But head coach Joe Mazzulla loved it.

Joe Mazzulla explains why he was happy Jayson Tatum got benched by Team USA and didn't win NBA Finals MVP

At Media Day, Tatum revealed that nobody was happier about that he got passed over than Mazzulla. “Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn't win Finals MVP and that I didn't play in two of the games in the Olympics,” Tatum said at Media Day. “So that was odd, but it makes sense.”

Anyone who has followed the Celtics for the past years won’t be surprised by this take.

And at practice on Wednesday, Mazzulla gave an explanation.

“One hundred percent right,” Mazzulla said when asked about the statement. “I mean, that comes off as love. That's just the way that I love him. This is the relationship that we have, and I appreciate that he accepts my perspective and the way that we go about talking about it. 

“But at the end of the day, he's 26. And I just said, 'Listen, you've accomplished so much in this league. Take a step back and appreciate that again, then be grateful that you got, God willing 10, 12, 14 years left in this league. Who knows what you're going to see?' And I don't think we've seen the best of him yet because of how much he works and how he's willing to grow.” 

By the time Tatum helped the Celtics get over the hump and win a title, it felt like he had been waiting his entire career to reach that peak. And he had been. But his career is still young.

Tatum is only entering his seventh year in the NBA, meaning he still has plenty of room to grow and plenty of time to add to his legacy. That’s why Mazzulla was so happy he got snubbed.

Now, he has more goals to work toward.

“I thought it was great that he's got something to work towards,” Mazzulla said. “And sometimes when you get success, you don't have that next hunger right in front of you. Sometimes you got to wait for it. Sometimes it's a loss. Sometimes it's a losing streak. And he was able to get that right in front of him, so I just thought it was a gift. 

“It doesn't mean that he shouldn't be pissed off about it, and I didn't want to take away from how that may affect him in real time. I wasn't there. But as his coach and as somebody that really cares about him, I thought it was great because it gives him something to work toward for the rest [of his career].”