When Jayson Tatum was selected for Team USA for the Paris Olympics, everyone expected him to wreak havoc on the international stage. But the reality has been far from it. While the Americans have gone undefeated in the tournament so far, JT has been forced to watch the entire game from the bench, not once but twice.

Sure enough, head coach Steve Kerr has faced a lot of heat from the fans and media because of his controversial decision. Amid the outrage, Tatum has kept himself distracted by spending some quality time with his son Deuce. With only a couple of days left before the Paris Olympics comes to a close, Tatum decided to go on an evening tour of the ‘City of Light’ with Deuce. While the basketball community is busy debating his reduced role on Team USA, Tatum shared a picture of his son posing in front of a beautifully lit Eiffel Tower on his IG story.

Because of the rare occasion, the Tower also had the five Olympic rings shining in the middle of it. Although JT didn’t post any message with the picture, he added a fingers crossed and a strength emoji to it. Maybe, he had Sunday’s gold medal match against France in mind as that has been Team USA’s ultimate goal since the squad was put together.

Moreover, with all the controversy that has been going on around Kerr’s decision to bench Tatum in the semi-final against Serbia and the hate that’s coming their way because of it, the Celtics superstar needed this time off with his son to regain his focus. Even when Tatum has been on the court for Team USA, he has not been as productive as he would have wanted. Having played only three games so far, he has averaged 6.3 points and crossed the double-digit score just once. But it will all be forgotten if Tatum delivers on Saturday.

Will Steve Kerr give Jayson Tatum a chance against France?

Addressing Tatum’s reduced minutes, Kerr made it clear that it is by no means the Celtics superstar’s fault, “it’s not about what Jayson is doing or not doing. It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin (Durant) has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything.”

But facing a new opponent on Sunday that they have not faced before in the tournament, Kerr could take a risk by increasing Tatum’s minutes in the finals against France. Although Tatum has not performed up to the mark in Paris, he played a huge role in helping Team USA win gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

Upon his Olympics debut, he averaged a solid 15.2 points on 44.7% shooting from the three-point line. The last time Team USA faced France in the finals of the previous Olympics, he had a monster performance off the bench with 19 points and 7 rebounds. On top of that, most of the players who played in that game will also be suiting up on Sunday.

So, Tatum’s proven experience against them could be a massive advantage for Team USA in their pursuit of a gold medal. Do you think Steve Kerr should take his chances with Jayson Tatum in the biggest match of the tournament? Let us know your thoughts below!

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger