Jayson Tatum arguably is one of the best five basketball players in the world, but that wasn’t reflected when Team USA kicked off its Paris Olympics run Sunday.
Tatum shockingly did not play a single minute in the Americans’ group-stage opener against Serbia. The Boston Celtics star was one of two players not used by the gold medal favorites, who cruised to a 110-84 over Nikola Jokic and company.
Countless basketball fans online had a field day poking fun at Tatum for riding the bench on the international stage. But others, like 14-year NBA veteran Matt Barnes, used social media to criticize Team USA decision-makers for benching the five-time All-Star.
“Not sure who’s deciding who’s playing what minutes in these Olympics but for @jaytatum0 to not get any minutes is crazy AF @SteveKerr & #EricSporlstra,” Barnes posted to X on Sunday.
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After the game, Kerr confirmed Tatum didn’t play due to a coach’s decision and not an injury, illness or anything of the like. In fact, it was a pre-planned move by the Golden State Warriors coach, who before tipoff informed Tatum that there was a chance he wasn’t going to play against Serbia.
That said, Kerr insisted Tatum still will “make his mark” on these Olympics. The 26-year-old’s next opportunity to make his Paris Games debut will be Wednesday when Team USA matches up with South Sudan.
