Leading Team USA’s cause, Kevin Durant and LeBron James fully dominated Serbia in a thrilling win, 110-84. And while people could not get enough of KD’s sensational performance and James’ shots, Steve Kerr was getting grilled on the other side for not “letting” Jayson Tatum play.

Yes, the new champ did not play a single minute of the game and he knew it. Now, of course, this left a bad impression on Kerr’s coaching style. Although recently, the former head coach of Team USA, Coach K, who led Kobe Bryant‘s Redeem Team to a gold medal, defended the nine-time champion.

“It’s a difficult assignment, and we usually ended up with a rotation of about nine players and three others would play limited minutes or not play at all, and whatever happens for the team, you accept it because, again, you get back to that one question, did we win? Okay, this is the way we have to do it, as long as we win, I’m okay with everything. There are no individual accolades, it’s gotta be a collective effort.”, said Coach K.

Coming from the coach who led the team in a much different way, as documented in the film, Redeem Team, Mike Krzyzewski knows his way around the international ball.

Now, let’s try to understand it this way. There’s always going to be someone who’s not going to play. In the NBA, there is no strict limit to having exactly 12 players on the roster. Still, out of roughly 15 players on the team, quite a few of them go without playing a single minute in a game. And the rotation is quite similar when it comes to international competition.

Yes, Jayson Tatum is a champion and one of the best players in the league. Having said that, there are multiple reasons why he should’ve been on the floor. But on the brighter side, Kerr’s game plan worked perfectly and Coach K sided with the idea that team game matters.

Coming back to the current scenario, Tatum wasn’t going to be the only one who didn’t show out on the floor by the end of this tournament. Steve Kerr’s rotation may just require other All-Stars to sit out a certain game. As they face the Sudanese next, NBA Insider recently suggested that Devin Booker may be next on the list. This comes after Durant’s dominant performance in his first game back from the calf injury. But the matchup against South Sudan is a piece of good news for Tatum fans.

Jayson Tatum will be a key player against the Sudanese

Looking back at the exhibition game, the Sudanese are smart and quick with their decisions. This mainly helps them on the defensive end, covering each zone. Though, there were times when the Americans found a way to get past the tough zone defense. But where does Tatum come into play? JT shares a similar game when compared to LeBron and KD. But considering that he won’t be in the starting lineup, Tatum will be a key player coming in with the second unit.

JT is athletic, quick, efficient from the field, and a great defender. The all-rounder, along with ANT and AD will be in charge to maintain or chase the lead in the second, with Tatum and Edwards being the reliant scorers. If this indeed comes out to be the game plan, Team USA will have a great setup going into halftime. Now, there is also a lot of confidence in this team following their recent victory. All they have to do is maintain the flow to the top in Group C.

It will be interesting to see Tatum play his first minutes in Paris. What are your thoughts on Steve Kerr’s game plan? Do you think Tatum will be a crucial part of the South Sudan game? Let us know in the comments.

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