Jayson Tatum is coming off a season leading the Boston Celtics to their record-breaking 18th NBA title win. Nevertheless, the Celtics star surprisingly could not make the starting lineup during Team USA’s exhibition opener game.
After that, NBA fans became really pissed off when Tatum was snubbed again in Team USA’s Paris Olympic opener game against Team Serbia. USA’s head coach, Steve Kerr, opened up about Tatum’s case following their game against Serbia.
Kerr shared his grief with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst for not letting the Celtics star play to face Nikola Jokic’s team. He said,
“ [Jayson Tatum] handled it well. We talked about it before the game, and I told him it might play out this way with KD coming back. He’s going to play. I felt like an idiot not playing him,” Kerr added, “But you know, 40-minute game, you can’t play more than 10 [players], you really can’t.”
Kerr actually wanted to get Kevin Durant back into his usual form, as he missed every tuneup game for a calf injury. Though Tatum was benched, Durant’s addition translated well for Team USA, as they won their first game by defeating Serbia 110-84 on Sunday. He had a wonderful game coming from the injury, scoring 21 points for the winning cause.
Steve Kerr Confirms Jayson Tatum’s Participation Amid Talent Overload
Steve Kerr faces the challenging task of managing the vast talent on the U.S. team, which includes 12 NBA stars. Amid concerns about Jayson Tatum’s participation in the upcoming Olympic games, Kerr reassured fans with an optimistic update.
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“Jayson’s gonna play; every game’s gonna be different based on matchups. He’s a total pro; he’s first-team All-NBA three years in a row,” Kerr said.
The Paris Olympics have just started, and Team USA will next face South Sudan in the second match on July 31 at 3 p.m. ET. Fans are anticipating the powerful showdown, and it remains to be seen if Team USA can maintain their winning form.
