The United States men’s basketball team has received their first real test of the 2024 Paris Olympics, as they trailed Serbia by 11 points at halftime.
While the team struggled to slow down Serbia, another overarching storyline has taken over the game: Jayson Tatum.
Tatum did not play in the first half against Serbia, which was Team USA’s worst half of basketball this tournament. Tatum famously didn’t play in the United States’ first game of the Olympics, which was also against Serbia. The U.S., however, dominated Serbia, 110-84. On Thursday, it’s a different story.
Why is Jayson Tatum Not Playing for Team USA?
United States head coach Steve Kerr called himself an “idiot” for not playing Tatum in the Olympic opener against Serbia. However, he clearly sees something in the matchups that has kept Tatum off the floor against Serbia again.
Steve Kerr Explains Decision to Bench Jayson Tatum in Team USA Opener
“Jayson handled it really well. I talked to him today before the game that it may play out this way just with Kevin coming back and the lineup that I wanted to get to,” Kerr said after that game. “But that’ll change. Jayson’s gonna play. Every game’s gonna be different, based on matchups. Jayson’s First Team All-NBA, three years in a row. I felt like an idiot not playing him, but in a 40-minute game you can’t play more than 10. You really can’t.”
Now, Tatum is yet again looking like a “DNP” in this semifinal matchup with a trip to the Gold Medal game against France on the line.
This story will be updated…
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