All in all it looks like a waste of time to worry much about this
There was an absolute uproar when Steve Kerr opted to sit Jayson Tatum for the game against Serbia in the Paris Olympics. It was really fairly astonishing.
For many, it was inconceivable that a guy who just helped win an NBA championship and who just signed the largest NBA contract in history, not to mention being on the new NBA 2K25 cover, and it was probably a bit jarring for Tatum too. Here’s what he said about it:
“It’s a unique situation, and it’s not about one individual player, competitor in you wants to play obviously, but I’m not here to make a story about myself. You win a championship, new contract, NBA 2K25 cover, Sports Illustrated... so after all of this, it’s definitely a humbling experience.”
We will say though that Tatum seemed to handle it well. He was supportive of his teammates and obviously was ready if called.
He hasn’t come out and said anything directly about Kerr’s decision, but former Duke and Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski had some comments about managing Team USA’s roster. Essentially it was this: you build roles with a 9-10 man rotation. The other guys will not play much, if at all. But before he dropped that bomb on them he had all of his players pledge that winning would be their highest goal.
A focus on winning and team unity have to be the highest goals. So far, it looks like the team is respecting that fully. People who are blowing up at Kerr, as much as we may want to see Tatum, need to wait and see how the medal round works out before passing judgement.
