Inside The Warriors

Steve Kerr Reveals Reason for Benching Jayson Tatum in USA-Serbia

Golden State Warriors and Team USA head coach Steve Kerr spoke on the Jayson Tatum situation

Joey Linn

Aug 8, 2024; Paris, France; United States head coach Steve Kerr reacts 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; United States head coach Steve Kerr reacts during the first half against Serbia in a men's basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. / Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum received his second DNP of the 2024 Paris Olympics in Thursday's semifinals game against Serbia. Team USA and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr inserted Tatum into the starting lineup after his first DNP, but went back to a rotation that did not include the 2024 NBA champion.

Speaking with reporters (per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe), Kerr revealed his reason for benching Tatum, saying it was simply a math problem.

“It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson; it’s what I’ve seen from the other guys... It’s just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game... It's a math problem more than anything," Kerr said.

Both Tatum and Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton received zero minutes.

While Kerr used 10 total players in this game, Celtics guard Derrick White played just seven minutes, so it was not even a full 10-man rotation for this semifinals matchup. While Team USA's bench struggled in this game, Kerr said that group has been one of their bright spots.

“Our second unit was not great last night, but that group has been one of the bright spots on this team, especially on the defensive end," Kerr added, per Himmelsbach. "So it’s not about what Jayson is doing or not doing. It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin [Durant] has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything.”

United States bench
United States small forward Jayson Tatum (10), guard Devin Booker (15), guard Stephen Curry (4) and guard Anthony Edwards (5) 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. / Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

It will be interesting to see what Kerr does for the gold medal game against France.

Related Articles

Draymond Green Fires Back at NBA Legend's Outlandish Warriors Statement

Major Update on Golden State Warriors' Offseason Plans Revealed

Warriors Star Gets Honest About Being Teammates With Draymond

Published |Modified
Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

Home/News