Team USA’s Steve Kerr explains why Jayson Tatum didn’t play in 2024 Paris Olympics opener vs. Serbia

In Crew USA’s first recreation of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Jayson Tatum was not within the rotation. The Boston Celtics star performed zero minutes in america’ 110-84 win in opposition to Serbia on Sunday.

“I went with the mixtures I felt would make sense,” coach Steve Kerr instructed reporters, by way of the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, “and I talked to him, and he was extremely skilled.”

Kerr referred to as Tatum “top-of-the-line gamers on this planet.” Tatum made the All-NBA First Crew and led the Celtics to a championship this previous season, and he logged a median of 17.6 minutes within the Crew USA’s 5 exhibition video games main as much as the Olympics. The most important distinction between these video games and the Olympic opener, although, was that Kevin Durant did not play within the friendlies. Durant, who returned from a calf damage in opposition to Serbia, successfully took Tatum’s spot within the rotation. 

“It is actually laborious in a 40-minute recreation to play greater than 10 guys,” Kerr mentioned. “With Kevin coming again, I simply went to the mixtures that I felt made probably the most sense. It appears loopy. I assumed I used to be loopy after I checked out every thing and decided these are the lineups I needed to get to.

“[Tatum will] make his mark. Our guys know the important thing to this complete factor is to place all of the NBA stuff within the rearview mirror and simply win six video games. Jayson is the final word professional and champion and he dealt with it properly, and he will be prepared for the following recreation.”

Kerr might have tinkered with the rotation as a way to hold Tatum in it, however elected not to take action. The choice to carry Durant off the bench signaled that he needed to maintain the beginning 5 — Stephen Curry, Jrue Vacation, Devin Booker, LeBron James and Joel Embiid — intact. Going smaller could possibly be an possibility going ahead, however would not have made a lot sense in opposition to Nikola Jokic’s group.

It’s a bit bizarre that Tatum wound up not enjoying in any respect, regardless of the context. It’s price noting, although, that Tyrese Haliburton, one other All-NBA participant, has not performed for the reason that first half of america’ tune-up recreation in opposition to South Sudan final week. For the final two-and-a-half video games, Derrick White has run level with the second unit and Haliburton has sat on the sideline. If Kerr’s teaching workers just isn’t going to play everyone in each recreation, then one or two nice gamers might be overlooked.

“[Tatum is] good,” White, his teammate on the Celtics and with Crew USA, mentioned. “He is in good spirits. He is clearly a hell of a participant and we have quite a lot of nice guys on the group, so he’ll be all proper.”

Requested if he was sick, as each Embiid and Anthony Davis needed to miss latest practices as a consequence of sickness, Tatum mentioned, “No, I am good,” per the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.

Forward of Crew USA’s upcoming video games in opposition to South Sudan (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET) and Puerto Rico (subsequent Sunday, 11:15 a.m. ET), the broader query in regards to the rotation is how inflexible Kerr might be. If Durant is inserted to the beginning lineup, who’s taken out? What ripple results will which have on the bench? Kerr has not solely made hockey-style substitutions this summer time, however he has clearly tried to assemble a constant first unit and a second unit in order that the 2 respective teams might construct chemistry. The only option to hold some continuity on Sunday was to place Durant in Tatum’s place, however that does not imply the teaching workers would have landed on this explicit rotation in some other circumstance.

For the following three days, Kerr can experiment with completely different lineup mixtures in follow. Do not be shocked if the substitution sample seems to be meaningfully completely different in opposition to South Sudan, and do not be shocked if this finally ends up being Tatum’s solely DNP-CD.