Just In: “Steve Kerr Drops Bombshell Explanation for Not Playing Jayson Tatum in Team USA’s Stunning Victory Over Serbia—You Won’t Believe the Reason!”

Team USA left fans feeling a bit uneasy for roughly the first three minutes of Sunday’s victory over Serbia at the 2024 Olympics. After trailing 10-2 to start the game, the United States flipped the switch behind excellent performances from Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

But while Team USA’s 110-84 victory was impressive, one of the noteworthy storylines was the topic of All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum, who didn’t play a single minute.

After the game, head coach Steve Kerr admitted he felt “crazy” when determining that Tatum may not play in the team’s opener. He cited Kevin Durant’s return as a primary reason for the decision, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe detailed.
It’s really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys,” Kerr said. “With Kevin coming back, I just went to the combinations that I felt made the most 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.”
Kerr also had high praise for Tatum in his handling of the decision, stating he was “incredibly professional” while remaining adamant that the Boston Celtics star will “make his mark” during the Olympics.

“Jayson is first-team All-NBA three years in a row. He’s one of the best players in the world. I went with the combinations I felt would make sense, and I talked to him, and he was incredibly professional.

“[Tatum will] make his mark,” he said. “Our guys know the key to this whole thing is to put all the NBA stuff in the rearview mirror and just win six games. Jayson is the ultimate pro and champion and he handled it well, and he’s going to be ready for the next game.”

Tatum and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton were the only two players who didn’t see the floor in Team USA’s opener, but the decision on the Celtics forward was more than a bit surprising. Tatum logged between 14 and 21 minutes in the four Team USA exhibition games, although Durant missed each due to injury.

It’s really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys,” Kerr said. “With Kevin coming back, I just went to the combinations that I felt made the most 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.”