Draymond Green Blasts Steve Kerr for Benching Jayson Tatum: 'It's Wrong'

Bobby Krivitsky | Aug 4, 2024

Jun 8, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) talks with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the second quarter in game three of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports / Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Kerr's decision to keep Jayson Tatum glued to the bench in the USA men's basketball team's 110-84 win over Serbia in their Olympic opener is the loudest topic of conversation regarding a dominant display in group play.

Team USA went 3-0, produced a +64 point differential, and earned the top No. 1 overall seed in the knockout round, which starts Tuesday in Paris. They'll face Brazil at 3:30 p.m. ET.

But in the latest episode of his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, released a day after Tatum stuffed the stat sheet and registered the first double-double of his Olympic career in a 104-83 victory vs. Puerto Rico, the four-time NBA champion took aim at Steve Kerr's decision to bench Tatum against Serbia and his subsequent handling of the situation.

"Like I said to JT, 'When you win a gold medal, no one cares who scored the points, no one cares who played the minutes. Did you win a gold medal, or did you not?' That's what it boils down to," said Green.

"However, you don't not play Jayson Tatum. That man just won an NBA championship. (He's on the) cover of (NBA) 2K. (He's on the) cover of Sports Illustrated saying, 'Cheers.' Just signed the biggest contract in NBA history, and oh, by the way, your reward is sit down and don't play in the first Olympic game."

While Green acknowledged that Tatum didn't meet expectations in Team USA's exhibition games, he bluntly stated, "It actually doesn't matter."

He also brought up Team USA building its offense around Tatum and Kevin Durant at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which took place in 2021 due to the pandemic. As Green notes, it appeared set up for a passing of the torch from the latter to the Celtics' star forward.

To Green, the idea of Kerr moving Tatum from out of the rotation to the starting lineup and keeping Joel Embiid glued to the bench in the United States men's basketball team's 103-86 win over South Sudan on Wednesday felt like the Warriors' head coach was "covering his tracks."

"These teams aren't good enough to where we're trying to match their lineup. They've gotta match our lineup," said Green. "We've got the best players in the world; we gonna match their lineup anyway."

Green also believes Kerr yoyoing Tatum from not playing due to a coach's decision to a member of the first unit probably felt patronizing to the three-time All-NBA First Team selection.

"It's almost like, 'Oh, I'm giving you this so you don't feel bad.' That don't make him feel good. It probably made him feel worse about it."

And while Team USA has the talent to go undefeated in group play, accumulate the highest point differential, the second tiebreaker for the upcoming knockout round, and earn the top No. 1 overall seed entering the quarterfinals, that doesn't justify the way Kerr and the coaching staff is juggling the rotation in Green's eyes.

"Just because we get away with it, don't make it right. And I think it's wrong. I totally disagree with it."

Further Reading

Jayson Tatum Stuffs the Stat Sheet in Team USA's Win vs. Puerto Rico

Here's What to Know about Jaylen Brown's Boston XChange

Jrue Holiday, Derrick White Discuss Team USA's Opening Olympic Win

Jayson Tatum Gets Candid about Relationship with Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown 'Wasn't Surprised' by Olympic Snub: 'All the Motivation in the World'

Celtics Rookie Anton Watson Shares Brad Stevens' Message to Him

Celtics' Coaching Staff Changes Match Theme of Boston's Offseason

Celtics Roster, Salary Cap Breakdown After Whirlwind Start to Free Agency

New Details about Plan to Sell Majority Stake in Celtics Revealed

Al Horford, Raising Cane's, and a Region that Loves Him

On Derrick White and the Fuel for Unprecedented Journey to NBA's Best Role Player