Despite Team USA’s dominant performance in Paris, Jayson Tatum has been a focal point of controversy. The issue began when HC Steve Kerr benched Tatum for the entire first group-stage game against Serbia, sparking scrutiny. Even after bringing Tatum off the bench in subsequent games, Kerr faced ongoing backlash. Now, former NBA player Kenyon Martin raises a critical question amid Team USA’s successful qualification for the semi-finals.

Featuring in the latest episode of Gil’s Arena podcast show, Martin lashed out at Kerr. Picking up the Jayson Tatum argument from where it was left. The former player added a question to it. “Steve, let me ask you a question. If Jayson Tatum was on (Warriors) roster would there ever be a situation where he had a DNP? This man is First Team, all NBA three years in a row. I don’t get for what game-planning you putting together at any particular time that it didn’t include Jayson Tatum.”

Even though Martin didn’t utter the word ‘Warriors’, his question implied that Kerr would have favored Tatum if he were on the Warriors’ roster. And he didn’t stop there. Martin further took an ugly dig at the US coach to have him admitted to a “psych ward” if he announced benching Tatum. Importantly, in the quarter-final clash, Tatum played 20 minutes, scoring just 5 points with a 1-5 FG. Over his last three outings, Tatum has averaged only 6.4 points.

After putting forward a controversial question against Steve Kerr, Kenyon Martin made an unwarranted accusation as well. Martin continued, “You (Kerr) made a conscious decision not to play, man. When you said, ‘Hey DWhite go’, you can easily say, ‘Yo Jayson Tatum go’. You could have easily said that sh*t.” Notably, Kerr deployed Derrick White ahead of JT in the second unit, and he also dropped 5 points with an elaborate effort on the defense corner.

Gilbert Arenas drags Steph into the Jayson Tatum debate

Podcast host Gilbert Arenas had already made a controversial comment during the exhibition games. But he didn’t stop there too. He dragged Stephen Curry into the argument. While Kenyon Martin subtly accused Kerr of favoring the Warriors, Arenas solidified this accusation with his argument.

Seconds after Martin’s rant, Arenas took center stage and prepared to drop his opinion on the debate. The 42-year-old said, “If this was an NBA season and Curry missed a bunch of preseason games because of an injury, he was healthy. When game one started, goddamn it, you know, he’s starting game one. Stop this over-analyzing bullsh*t.”

Arenas accused Kerr, saying that the idea behind his game is “shoe-driven” and “image-driven”.

Interestingly, Curry has had an underwhelming tournament so far, averaging 7.25 ppg in four games. Notably, the Warriors superstar started all the games. Moreover, Steph’s perimeter shooting is also not great as he played two games without making a single three-pointer. Given the stats, Kerr seemed to have gotten entangled in a debate with Gil’s Arena crew. Do you think Steve Kerr will respond by benching Curry? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.