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Steve Kerr said he “felt like an idiot” after not playing Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum in Team USA’s first men’s basketball game at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the teams’ second meeting on August 8, 2024, Kerr seemingly wanted to feel like a fool once again, sitting Tatum for the entirety of the team’s 95-91 victory.
Kerr’s crew struggled. Kerr struggled, too. Team USA trailed by as many as 17 points in what would have been the biggest basketball upset at the Paris Olympics. While the team struggled to find its rhythm, and Kerr couldn’t put find a rotation that clicked, Tatum never saw the floor — again. Tatum’s second DNP of the Olympics has put a target on Kerr’s back in the eyes of Boston Celtics fans.
Steve Kerr’s Decision to Bench Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Again Raises Eyebrows
Either Kerr didn’t learn from his mistake of not playing Tatum against Serbia the first time or he was lying when he said he felt like an idiot.
“I felt like an idiot not playing him,” Kerr told reporters after the first meeting between USA and Serbia.
“Forty-minute game, you can’t play more than 10. So, I think he’s an amazing guy, great player and handled it beautifully. He’ll be back out there next game.”
“Jayson will play (Wednesday). I’m not going to answer your next question, which is if he plays, who doesn’t. But we’re going to need him, and part of this job for me is to keep everybody engaged and ready, because my experience with this is crazy stuff happens.”
Tatum did play in the following game, but he never got off the bench in the four-point win. The team struggled defensively. Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves showed nothing on the defensive end, while Tatum, a strong defender, never saw action. Kerr was the target of plenty of many after the game.
“The fact that Jayson Tatum didn’t play at all is crazy,” one X user posted. “I don’t know what Steve Kerr is doing but I have serious doubts about his Team USA coaching abilities. How do you not play one of your most versatile defenders when we were down the whole game? Tatum played ZERO minutes!”
Celtics fans weren’t too happy with the decision, but they hope it brings some sort of motivation for a Boston team that’s heavily favored to repeat as NBA champs.
“Seeing Kerr bench Tatum gets me so fired up for Celtics to start back up,” one Celtics fan posted.
“I just want to personally thank these 2 dumb dumbs, Grant Hill and Steve Kerr for the motivation they are giving Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to go scorched earth on the league next season,” another X user and Celtics fan wrote.
Kerr Called Tatum’s DNP a ‘Math Problem”
Putting together rotations involving 12 of the best basketball players can be troublesome. It can be tough to find the right fit, but it’s more than just finding rotations. Tatum is the best player on the team that just won the NBA championship. It’s beyond bizarre to see his stat line full of goose eggs, especially when is team was down nearly 20 points.
Kerr said keeping Tatum on the bench again isn’t because of anything the Celtics star has done. He simply called it a “math problem.”
“It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson; it’s what I’ve seen from the other guys,” Kerr said Friday, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “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,”
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