Team USA basketball looked very impressive on Sunday in its first game of group play, as it blew Serbia out of the water in a 110-84 win.
Kevin Durant was in volcano mode with 23 points, but one man was notably absent from the game.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum didn’t play a single minute, leading to some mild criticism for head coach Steve Kerr, including from Stephen A. Smith, who scorched Kerr for his decision to not play Tatum.
Tatum getting benched is BS pic.twitter.com/Z2FfRs14yJ
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 29, 2024
One could debate if Tatum is a true superstar and franchise player, but he has made the All-Star team in each of the last five seasons, and last month, he won his first NBA championship.
One issue Team USA has — and it’s a good issue to have — is finding playing time for everyone because of the immense amount of talent it boasts.
In fact, some have suggested it has as much talent as the legendary 1992 Dream Team that stomped its way to the Gold Medal that summer in Barcelona.
But in Smith’s eyes, Kerr should’ve found some meaningful playing time for Tatum on Sunday because of how lopsided the game was.
Things will not get easier for the United States as the Olympics move on — on Wednesday, it will face a South Sudan team it barely beat in a recent exhibition game, then it will play Puerto Rico before moving on to the next phase of competition.
That’s when things will get competitive for the Americans, and they could use some help from Tatum by then.
On the other hand, Kerr needs to go with the players who are getting things done for him, and there is always the chance that won’t include Tatum.
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Brian Windhorst Reveals Why Steve Kerr Benched Jayson Tatum
