Team USA might be marching for gold, but their internal conflicts aren’t close to their medal status. Particularly, the talk around Jayson Tatum’s inactivity on Team USA has dumbfounded many experts. Likewise, the barrel is aimed at the head coach Steve Kerr for not finding minutes for the Celtics’ All-NBA forward. Bob Cousy, a Celtics legend felt Kerr’s sour feelings for the franchise could be preventing him from using the scintillating Duke product. Or Kerr himself is helpless due to the pecking order.

VeeJay Huskey, a popular NBA podcaster had some remarks about the Jayson Tatum Team USA saga. Instead of pointing to Kerr, Huskey felt the Celtics pillar was the one to blame for his dormant status. No, not because he isn’t good enough. But rather the podcaster felt Tatum was always a “misfit” on the 2024 Team USA.

“I thought Jayson Tatum should probably have took this off. You’re going to be eligible in ’28 here in LA in America. So sometimes it’s okay to want to go do something doesn’t mean you should always go do it. And this is starting to look like an astronomical mistake on two people’s part. Jayson Tatum for even going and what Steve Kerr is doing… I don’t believe it’s a Warriors-Celtics even though sports does play human emotions sometimes. But at the end of the day I just think it’s too many guys on this team that does what Tatum does and he was just a misfit probably for this team,” the Fox veteran professed. 

There’s no doubt Jayson Tatum is an extraordinary talent. He was the primal force behind the Celtics winning the chip, averaging nearly 27 points even with the vast improvements around him. Nor does Steve Kerr denounce Tatum’s abilities. As far as the Celtics argument goes, the veteran HC has played Jrue Holiday and Derrick White extensively due to their defensive aggression and floor spacing abilities.

But in Tatum’s case, there are several options for his spot that are of greater service to Kerr and the USA coaching staff’s intentions. Just imagine, even Kevin Durant, the most prolific Olympian scorer for USA has come off the bench consistently. When the roster wasn’t as packed in 2020, as an assistant, Kerr didn’t mind advocating for Tatum.

He even played an instrumental role in the gold medal win, averaging 15.2 points during the Tokyo campaign. Yet, this time, with the emergence of Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo’s fabulous synergy, and Durant’s scoring prowess, it seems hard for Steve Kerr to accommodate Tatum into the lineup.

But even then, to have him not play at all does seem excessive and a knock on the nine-time champion’s leadership.

Could Steve Kerr use Jayson Tatum against France?

According to recent reports, Kevin Durant could be upgraded into the starting lineup when going up against France for the gold medal. It likes means either Jrue Holiday or Devin Booker will shift to the bench. It may also be the perfect time to bring back Jayson Tatum to the starting lineup since Steve Kerr has two functional guards on the bench in Anthony Edwards and Jrue Holiday or Devin Booker.

Having Tatum in the rotations could be key given the changes France has made to their lineups too. Guerschon Yabusele, a forward built like a tank has been the Les Bleus’ leading scorer since coming into the starting lineup. Not only is he strong, but he dominantly scores on the inside.

Jayson Tatum, with his length and long levers, could pose problems for Yabusele while playing as the secondary forward behind LeBron James. Additionally, France not having great perimeter defenders could be the ideal formation for Kerr to exploit Jayson Tatum’s distance shooting.

In Tokyo, JT had probably his best performance in the gold medal game against France. He scored 19 points in just 21 minutes off the bench and helped Durant and Co win a narrowly separated affair. After staying on the sidelines for all but one game, this might be the moment Jayson Tatum answers his call and repeats his success from four years ago.

Do you think Steve Kerr will play Tatum in the gold medal game?