Steve Kerr Compliments Jayson Tatum After Celtics-Warriors Showdown

BOSTON — Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr for whatever reason decided to not make Jayson Tatum an integral part of Team USA’s Olympic run this summer.

But Kerr doesn’t need to be convinced about Tatum’s rise into one of the NBA’s elite players.

“We played Boston about five years ago. He had 55 points against us,” Kerr said following Golden State’s 118-112 win over the Celtics at TD Garden on Wednesday night. “I don’t need to hear about him taking a step. He’s been a great player for a long time.”

Kerr was a little bit off — something Celtics fans surely said when he benched Tatum twice over six games in the Olympics. The game he referenced came in 2021 when Tatum poured in 44 points against the Warriors.

Tatum didn’t have the same type of offensive explosion against the Warriors on Wednesday and he couldn’t carry Boston to a win, but his performance was still at least strong enough to make Kerr contemplate his decision from three months ago.

Tatum poured in a game-high 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including hitting 5-of-10 3-pointers. He was essential to Boston’s 41-point third quarter, scoring 17 points in the frame and knocking four treys.

Kerr showed his respect for Tatum by the way the Warriors guarded the five-time All-Star. They blitzed Tatum on high pick-and-rolls every chance they got, especially in the first half when the Warriors limited him to just eight points on 2-for-7 shooting.

And that defensive gameplan really was Kerr complimenting the Celtics star and making sure Tatum didn’t single-handedly beat the Warriors.

“He can score at all three levels,” Kerr said. “The idea is don’t give him anything easy. So hopefully you don’t foul him. Hopefully you can meet him before he gets to the rim and you try to take away the three, but he has that step back and he’s so big that he can shoot right over the top of the defense. Like all great players, you just have to stay with it and not get discouraged when he makes a couple.”