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I know the Olympics have been over for some time now and that 99.9% of the world has closed the chapter, especially when it comes to Jayson Tatum and Team USA. I’m exhausted by it, you’re over it, it’s time to move on, I agree.

But after everyone and their mother voiced their opinion on what happened over the past few weeks, from trolls to current and former NBA players, there was one guy I really wanted to hear from on the subject. Someone who knows what it means to not play on Team USA, someone who knows what it means to win gold with Team USA, and someone who is widely considered one of Team USA’s best players of all time.

Hello.

As someone who has been a front row fan for Team USA’s entire run, it was great to finally hear him on the mic.

And who would have thought? He provided by far the best, most rational, and logical explanation/view of the whole thing. We’d already heard current players talk about how crappy this situation was and how little sense it made, but it’s another thing to have a player like Melo, who has seen and done everything for Team USA, break it down like that. He bases his analysis mostly on common sense, which isn’t often when people talk about Jayson Tatum. There’s no denying that he threw the ball like absolute shit. If I threw a jumper once, it’s most likely not even a problem. But what that doesn’t change are all the other areas in which Tatum impacts a basketball game, and for the first time, we heard what it looks like from a player’s perspective to know that and still not play.

It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how players think and react in these situations when it comes to roles and communication, and frankly, it’s an interesting perspective. There are no hot takes designed to go viral. There’s no trolling of fan bases whose favorite team can’t seem to beat Jayson Tatum. It’s an honest discussion from a man who probably knows more about this situation than anyone on the planet. If you can’t put any value in that, then that’s your problem.

And at the end of the day, if that can help Tatum and the rest of the Celtics head into their quest to defend their NBA title as champions with high spirits, then I’m all for it. They still won gold and came back from the Olympics pissed and healthy. Of course, there will be some who will continue to crack their jokes and use engagement bait on Twitter, that’s life. It’s mostly just a coping mechanism because deep down they know what’s coming in October.

Good luck.

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