Throughout their first sport of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Workforce USA head coach Steve Kerr determined to depart Boston Celtics celebrity Jayson Tatum on the bench whereas the squad took on Serbia.
In the end, the transfer didn’t make a lot of a distinction by way of altering the end result of the sport, because the People made straightforward work of Nikola Jokic and firm to start their quest for the gold medal.
After the sport, though Workforce USA crushed Serbia, criticism was directed and Kerr and his teaching workers for making the controversial determination to bench a reigning NBA champion.
Not solely was Tatum’s benching a scorching matter of debate in league circles over the previous few days, nevertheless it additionally took a little bit of a toll on the younger ahead, as he admitted he was humbled by being compelled to observe from the bench, by way of Basket Information.
“It’s definitely a humbling experience,” Tatum stated.
Jayson Tatum on not enjoying in opposition to Serbia:
“It’s definitely a humbling experience.” 🗣️ #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/wfuLZxMjJe
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) July 31, 2024
Happily for Tatum, the benching was not one thing that carried over to the following sport, as he was really within the beginning lineup in opposition to South Sudan, which was a transfer by Kerr that nobody noticed coming.
Nonetheless, this appears to be one thing that Kerr will do all through the match to maintain his gamers contemporary. For instance, Joel Embiid was benched in opposition to South Sudan, nevertheless it didn’t matter because the People gained a second straight sport with relative ease.
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