Team USA did not need Jayson Tatum on Sunday afternoon. Granted, any combination of stars in the rotation for Steve Kerr probably would have found a way to work itself out based on how the team was gelling on the way to its 110–84 win over Serbia in the group play opener.
But Tatum's DNP-coach's decision was a main discussion point around the win. Not playing Tatum was something fans speculated may have been indication of an injury issue, or an outright slight at Tatum.
Instead, Kerr explained after the game that the real reasoning was he wanted plenty of minutes for Kevin Durant—who was coming back from an injury absence—to get in his flow. That proved important, as Durant was automatic all afternoon, scoring 23 in the win on 88.9% shooting from the field.
But Kerr admitted it still wasn't exactly ideal.
"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. I felt like an idiot not playing him, but you know, 40-minute game, you can't play more than 10 [players], you really can't," Kerr said to Brian Windhorst after the game in Paris.
Kerr has the impossible task of figuring out how to jam pack the incredible amount of talent on the U.S. team into each game, and as he said, in eight fewer minutes than the coach is used to at the NBA level.
He may have felt like an idiot for not playing Tatum, but clearly, it panned out beautifully, albeit after a slow start.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steve Kerr Gives Self-Deprecating Answer About Sitting Jayson Tatum.
