Jayson Tatum helped the Boston Celtics snap their championship drought in June and then he quickly began preparing to help Team USA win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. While Tatum added to his trophy case, he spent most of his time at the Olympics on the bench.
Tatum, age 26, is a five-time All-Star selection. He won NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2023 and is coming off his third consecutive season with an All-NBA First-Team Selection. He’s demonstrated over time that he is easily one of the best NBA players right now.
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However, the 6-foot-8 forward went to Paris only to experience Team USA basketball often from a seat not too far away from the fans. Tatum was benched for multiple games during the Paris Olympics and he saw the court for just 11 minutes in the gold medal victory.
While Tatum and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton handled their benchings well publicly, many wondered what Kerr’s motivations were for the decisions. Now, we have some idea.
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Why was Jayson Tatum benched?
On the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, senior NBA writer Brian Windhorst of ESPN went into the rationale behind Kerr’s reason. Regarding the logic, Team USA’s coaching staff determined it would use a 10-man rotation. When it came down to minutes, Tatum was viewed as the 11th man on the roster.
“Steve Kerr decided he could play 10 guys. That’s it He tried to play 11 a little bit and it didn’t work. When he played 11, it didn’t have good results. And their evaluation was that against Serbia, Jayson Tatum was the 11th man. Frankly, when they played against Brazil, Jayson Tatum was the 11th man.”
Brian Windhorst on Jayson Tatum’s role in the Paris Olympics for Team USA
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Kerr and his staff ultimately decided following a lengthy evaluation that Tatum was the 11th-best player on the Team USA roster for the FIBA-style tournament. While things might’ve been different if they operated off an NBA framework, Tatum wasn’t viewed as one of the best options for playing time.
While Tatum returned home with the gold medal, the experience has left him uncertain if he will play for Team USA in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Perhaps making his decision easier, Kerr is not expected to serve as the United States head coach.
