Jayson Tatum had to prepare himself mentally more than any other player in the Olympic roster, especially after the Boston Celtics’ championship run. The fact that the NBA champion won’t be getting much playing time must have taken some time for him to accept, especially coming from the stellar season he had with Boston. He came off the bench in Las Vegas against Canada. He started in wins over Serbia and Australia, then returned to the bench against South Sudan and Germany.

Tatum averaged 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and shot 46.7% from the field. Considering the time he played, his stats are pretty decent. But Steve Kerr probably thinks differently. Kerr did not play him in the game against Serbia, and fans seem to be going crazy over it. Tatum was seen sitting on the bench, ready to come off, but Kerr did not want him on the court for some reason. Moreover, Tatum did not look thrilled about it, either. Maybe he is sick? Well, according to Gary Washburn, he is fine.

Kerr started Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid. Many expected Tatum to come off the bench, but he was out of Kerr’s rotation entirely, which was a controversial decision. Steve Kerr decided to play Derrick White, but not Jayson Tatum? Well, it seems like Kevin Durant‘s return to Team USA has completely pushed out the Celt from the roster. Or did it?

According to Gary Washburn, Steve Kerr said it was part of his plan. Tatum was the last Team USA player to come out of the locker room and walked straight to the bench without warming up. Is there something going on inside Team USA?

USA’s first Olympic game

Team USA had another roaring win against Serbia, defeating them 110-84 in the group play opener. The reason? Two names, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. The Slim Reaper had 23 points with 8/8 shooting, including 5/5 from beyond the arc. It seemed like Durant had no plans to miss, especially from 3-point range. LeBron James scored 21 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in the game, with Durant missing just one shot out of the 9 he took from the field.

Additionally, Jrue Holiday had 15, Devin Booker had 12, and Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry scored 11 points each. It’s fair to say everyone in Team USA played their part, though there were some occasional mistakes.

Serbia tried their best, but Team USA was too much for them. Even though the three-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokić, had 20 points, eight assists, and five rebounds for Serbia, along with Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s 14 points, it was not enough to overcome the overwhelming Team USA.

Next, Team USA is going against South Sudan on Tuesday. What are your thoughts on the game?

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