On Sunday, Team USA took another step toward an Olympic gold medal with a 110-84 victory over Serbia. That was expected. What was unexpected was the complete absence of Jayson Tatum. The All-NBA forward never took the court during the 26-point win.
There was some speculation that Tatum may have been injured or ill, but the Boston Celtics superstar said after the game that he was fully healthy, meaning Tatum’s DNP was entirely the decision of Steve Kerr.
Shortly after the game, Kerr explained to reporters why Tatum was benched for Team USA’s opener. In essence, Kerr wanted to get Kevin Durant back in the game after he missed the exhibition games with a calf injury. Kerr also said he “picked matchups that made sense” and didn’t give Tatum time to play. However, Kerr was quick to point out that Tatum would “come into play” as the game progressed.
Kerr acknowledged that Tatum was a perfect DNP-CD: “We picked the combination that made sense. That’s what we were going to do tonight. He handled it well. He’s going to make his mark.” #Celtics #Paris2024
— Gary Washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) July 28, 2024
Steve Kerr says Jayson Tatum was benched primarily to make room for KD.
But he said there would be opportunities.“He’ll make a name for himself.”
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) July 28, 2024
It’s not easy for Kerr to decide which talented players should be allowed to make mistakes, given the high expectations placed on the U.S. National Basketball Team. And Durant’s excellent start to the season may mean Kerr is just riding a wave of success. Either way, the U.S. National Basketball Team’s comfortable win has largely deflected attention from the decision.
This remains an intriguing coaching decision and one to watch as the Olympics progresses.
