The Summer of Jayson Tatum hit a snag Sunday.
Since mid-June, Tatum won his first NBA championship, signed a record-breaking contract extension with the Celtics, landed on covers of magazines and video games and enjoyed the fruits of his labor. But the good times were put on pause in Team USA’s Paris Olympics opener, which saw Tatum stapled to the bench for the entirety of the win over Serbia.
The five-time All-Star’s DNP was not due to illness or injury. It simply was a matchup decision by head coach Steve Kerr, who used 10 of his 12 players against Nikola Jokic and company. Kerr claimed Tatum handled the decision “well,” but that didn’t stop basketball fans online from dunking on the Boston star.
Kerr indicated not playing Tatum was a choice made for the game against Serbia and not a plan for the tournament at large. The Golden State Warriors head coach stressed the 26-year-old will have a chance to “make his mark” in France, where the Americans will resume group-stage play Wednesday when they play South Sedan.
