Jayson Tatum Breaks Silence After Steve Kerr's Lineup Decisions at Olympics
![Aug 8, 2024; Paris, France; (L-R) United States forward Jayson Tatum (10), guard Devin Booker (15), guard Stephen Curry (4) look on from the bench during the first half against Serbia in a men's basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Aug 8, 2024; Paris, France; (L-R) United States forward Jayson Tatum (10), guard Devin Booker (15), guard Stephen Curry (4) look on from the bench during the first half against Serbia in a men's basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2690,h_1513,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_warriors/01j542yqkc6fvrgadt2g.jpg)
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had difficult decisions to make as Team USA's head coach for the 2024 Paris Olympics. With a very talented 12-man roster, Kerr was inevitably going to have at least one player out of his rotation entirely, and likely two.
While Kerr used a longer rotation in the USA Basketball Showcase and some Group Phase games, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton were on the outside looking in for Team USA's semifinals game against Serbia and gold medal game against France.
Both Tatum and Haliburton did not play a single minute against Serbia, and Tatum played just 11 minutes against France.
For the second time in France, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton did not play against Serbia. pic.twitter.com/hwf5MrOEXc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 8, 2024
Speaking after the Olympics via Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, Tatum said, "You feel like you deserve to play and the competitor in you wants to play. And (Steve Kerr) is the coach for a reason. He makes those decisions."
All-NBA First Team each of the last three seasons, Tatum was not a player that projected to be outside of Team USA's rotation at the Olympics. That said, Kerr found a group he liked, and stuck with that en route to a gold medal.
2x Olympic Gold Medalist 🥇🥇
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 11, 2024
🇺🇸1️⃣0️⃣ Jayson Tatum pic.twitter.com/fVenEgYzbH
Tatum played 71 minutes at the Olympics, which was the second-fewest on the team.
On if this will impact his 2028 status, Tatum said via Himmelsbach, "It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decisions off emotions. If you asked me right now if I’m going to play in 2028, it’s four years from now. I’d have to take time and think about that. So I’m not going to make any decision based on how this experience was, or how I feel individually. I keep trying to say, I’m trying not to make it about me. I know that’s the storyline the last few days, but we won. We won a gold medal, and that was most important.”
Tatum would seemingly be one of Team USA's best options for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but it will be interesting to see if he chooses to compete again.
Related Articles
Draymond Green's Reaction to Steph Curry's Incredible Shot in USA-France Goes Viral
Boston Celtics Legend Slams Steve Kerr for Controversial Jayson Tatum Decision
Caitlin Clark's Two-Word Reaction to Steph Curry's Performance in USA-France