United States men’s national team head coach Steve Kerr admitted it felt foolish to omit Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum from the Americans’ 110-84 victory over Serbia in the team’s opening contest of the 2024 Paris Games.
“I felt like an idiot not playing (Tatum),” Kerr told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “But, in a 40-minute game, you can’t play more than 10 (guys).”
Tatum, 26, recently concluded one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. He led the Celtics in points, rebounds, and assists as they secured their first NBA title since 2008.
Kerr had informed Tatum ahead of time that he might not see the court, largely due to the return of Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant from his pre-tournament calf injury. Durant is the USA’s all-time leading Olympic scorer.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was the only other member of Team USA who did not play.
“Jayson handled it really well. I talked to him today before the game that it might play out this way. Just with Kevin coming back and the lineups that I wanted to get to. But that’ll change, Jayson is going to play,” Kerr said. “Every game is going to be different, based on matchups. He’s a total pro.”
Durant scored a game-high 23 points in 17 minutes off the bench, providing Team USA with a much-needed scoring boost after a sluggish start. The Americans were trailing 19-14 when the 14-time All-Star checked in, and he proceeded to hit eight of his nine field goals, including all five of his 3-point attempts.
“I mean, (Durant) is so skilled and he just looked like he was in midseason form after not playing in a real basketball game for a couple of months. Pretty incredible,” Kerr said, according to Windhorst.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James added 21 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in the win.
The United States is set to play South Sudan on Wednesday, a rematch of last week’s exhibition match where the Americans needed a last-second layup from James to secure a one-point victory.
