Millions of people sat down and watched Team USA beat Serbia during their opening Olympic game on Sunday.
Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics happened to be one of those people.
Tatum sat on the bench during the entire game, which was a move that surprised many.
Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Frank Isola said the doesn’t understand why head coach Steve Kerr didn’t call on Tatum at all.
“Of the guys on the current roster, no one received more MVP votes for the ’23-’24 season than Jayson Tatum,” Isola reminded listeners, before adding that some people are calling Kerr’s decision “disrespectful.”
“Of the guys on the current roster, no one received more MVP votes for the ’23/’24 season than Jayson Tatum”@TheFrankIsola doesn’t understand why Tatum didn’t play vs Serbia#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/JpjGG6rXLo
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 29, 2024
Tatum wasn’t sick and he didn’t ask to sit out of the game.
This was solely Kerr’s choice and he said he made it because it gave Team USA their best shot at taking down Serbia.
He has said that every game is going to be different and he will make adjustments when necessary, even if they make fans unhappy.
The Serbian team is physically larger than Tatum, which led Kerr to rely more on Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, and Joel Embiid.
When it came to perimeter shooting and ball-handling, the Americans turned to LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and others.
Team USA just didn’t have a desperate need for Tatum’s skillset.
Still, it is surprising to see him sit for the entire game, especially just weeks after winning his first championship in the NBA.
However, Kerr has promised that Tatum will be seen much more during Wednesday’s game, which will silence critics and give Tatum a chance to get his first taste of Olympic glory.
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