One of the biggest surprises from Team USA’s win over Serbia on Sunday was that Jayson Tatum didn’t play at all.
Coach Steve Kerr decided not to include Tatum in the Olympic opener, even though many expected him to be a key player for Team USA. The Boston star, who recently won an NBA championship, wasn’t used even when the team had a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.
Steve Kerr’s Explanation:
After the game, Coach Kerr explained his decision: โItโs really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys. With Kevin [Durant] coming back, I just went with lineups that made sense. It seems crazy. I thought I was crazy when I looked at everything and determined these are the lineups I wanted to get to.โ
Stephen A. Smith had strong words about this choice:
โJayson Tatumโฆ you canโt find one minute? Steve Kerr, thatโs some straight bullsh*t.โ
Stephen A. Smith:
โThe defending NBA champion Jayson Tatumโฆ you canโt find one minute? Steve Kerr, thatโs some straight bullsh*tโ
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18)
Kerr Feels Regret:
Later on, Kerr admitted he felt “like an idiot” for not playing Tatum but added that matchups dictate different decisions each game and assured fans that Tatum would play in future games.
Criticism from Charles Barkley:
Charles Barkley criticized Kerr’s decision too. He said everyone on the team should get some playing time: โFirst of all, heโs got to play. Everybody on the team has to play,โ Barkley said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. He emphasized itโs important for players like Tatum to get at least 10 minutes of action during such significant events as the Olympics.
Fans think it’s unfair not to give every player a chance.
Barkley also praised Chuck Daly’s coaching style during the 1992 Dream Team era where two starting units were effectively used.
Frank Isola Weighs In:
On SiriusXM NBA Radio, Frank Isola highlighted how surprising it is that someone with as many MVP votes as Jayson Tatum didn’t see any court time against Serbia: โOf the guys on the current (Team USA) roster, no one received more MVP votes for (2023-24) season than Jayson Tatum.โ
Isola pointed out how close Tatum came to winning MVP last season and questioned why he would be benched entirely while other stars played.
Isola acknowledged it’s tough managing so many superstars but couldn’t understand why Tatum was left out completely: โI understand what Steve Kerr is doing… but how do you reach the conclusion that it should be Tatum just based on what everyone has done over recent months?โ
In conclusion, weโre left wondering if leaving out such a key player will affect Team USA’s performance going forward
