Jayson Tatum was the best player on the reigning NBA champion. Typically, players who reach that level are regarded as somewhat sacred. Their reputations are beyond reproach. Their skill sets can no longer be questioned. So when Steve Kerr sat Tatum out of Team USA’s group play game against Serbia, fans ranged from surprised to outraged. Tatum returned to the rotation against South Sudan, Puerto Rico and Brazil, but was again held out against Serbia in the semifinal rematch Team USA came from behind to win on Thursday.
Again, critics have blasted Kerr for the decision, but as he said, it had far less to do with the Celtics superstar than the rest of the roster.
“It’s not about anything Jayson is doing or not doing,” Kerr said. “It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything.”
Team USA presents this sort of math problem almost automatically. It is the curse of having a nearly limitless supply of basketball stars. Most countries that compete in the Olympics have one or two players with the sort of stature to actively command playing time. Team USA sends 12 stars. Everyone on the team is justified in believing they deserve to play. Playing all of them isn’t practical. “Like I’ve said many times during this tournament and this last six weeks, it’s just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game,” Kerr explained.