Video: Jayson Tatum Claps Back at Critics, Says He'll Do 'What the F--k I Want to Do'

Jayson Tatum isn't interested in catering to anyone who says he should speak out negatively about his lack of playing time with Team USA during the Olympics this summer.

Speaking to reporters after the Boston Celtics' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Tatum said he is "always going to do what the f--k I want to do" when asked about anyone who wanted him to react to being benched by USA head coach Steve Kerr.

Wednesday's game between the Warriors and Celtics marked the first time Kerr and Tatum were back together since the Olympics.

As the United States men's basketball team was marching toward a gold medal in Paris, a large part of the discussion about the roster involved the way Kerr was using Tatum.

The Celtics star only played in four of six games during the tournament. He averaged 17.7 minutes per game, sixth-most on the team, and had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Puerto Rico.

Tatum's overall performance, though, was far below what fans are accustomed to seeing from him in NBA games. He shot just 38.1 percent from the field and missed all four of his three-point attempts.

After keeping Tatum on the bench for the opening game against Serbia, Kerr explained they were trying to get Kevin Durant's legs back under him. Durant missed all of Team USA's training camp and exhibition schedule due to a calf injury.

As more games kept being played without Tatum seeing a lot of playing time, Kerr said it boiled down to a math problem and not having enough minutes available for everyone:

""It's not what I'm not seeing from Jayson; it's what I've seen from the other guys. Like I've said many times during this tournament and the last six weeks, it's just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game. Our second unit was not great last night, but that group has been one of the bright spots on this team, especially on the defensive end. So it's not about what Jayson is doing or not doing. It's just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin [Durant] has filled in since he came back from his injury. It's just a math problem more than anything."

The discussion around Tatum was interesting because no one was complaining about Tyrese Haliburton's lack of playing time. The Indiana Pacers star only averaged 8.8 minutes per game in three appearances, but he took it all in stride and made jokes about it.

Even acknowledging that Tatum is regarded as a better player than Haliburton and was coming off his first NBA title with the Celtics earlier in the summer, Kerr's job was not to satisfy the playing time desires of everyone on the roster.

Kerr had to the U.S. in the best position to win a gold medal, and that's exactly what he did. Tatum may not have been fully on board with the situation, but it's smart for him to not give into public pressure to make it a bigger deal since he may want to be on the team in 2028 when Team USA will have a new head coach.