Team USA is off to a dominant start in a chase to win their 5th gold medal. Led by the two forwards, LeBron and KD, the Hoopers blew away Serbia, 110-84, and some players didn’t check in during the game. This includes Tyrese Haliburton, traveling for his debut Olympics. During his free time, the Pacer has been spending some off-court time with his girlfriend. And pictures of their recent outing went viral on the internet. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the power couple has freely explored the streets of France.

His college sweetheart, Jade Jones’ Instagram stories, are where all the gold lies about the couple, as she’s been really active on social media. Tyrese and Jade seemed to have gone on a shopping spree. The venues are historic and luxurious too. In the first picture, the couple were relaxing in a Prada showroom while having visited Chanel’s showroom, a native brand outlet prior. The basketballer had a big smile on his face as he surfed through his phone and lived in the moment while his better half raised her drink to the camera.

Further, Jade also captured the two of them enjoying lunch together in Siena, Paris, followed by a visit to the Olympic venues. Just a few days prior, the two of them, decked in fancy outfits, tried their luck at the casinos in Paris, followed by visiting malls, getting Polaroids clicked, and so much more! And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with exploring the city.

Even Stephen Curry went on a mini London tour, a few days ago, before the competition began. The sharpshooter had company, but we don’t know who. His journey, though, was thoroughly captured, and he visited many of the iconic locations like Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, and the tall Big Ben! The veteran was pictured uncontrollably smiling, as he was visibly enjoying himself not being the center of attraction in a public place!

Coming back to Paris, Team USA surely means business, and that was evident from Game 1 itself. While players like Tyrese Haliburton and Anthony Edwards missed out, shockingly, even Jayson Tatum didn’t make the bench! However, the Pacer will expect to at least play a part in the rotation when the hoopers face Puerto Rico, wouldn’t he?

When will Tyrese Haliburton make his Olympic debut?

The fan community noticed a downward trend in the minutes Tyrese Haliburton received game after game during the warmups. It obviously ended up with him receiving no playing time against Germany and the same followed trait in Paris. He averaged only 14.8 minutes across the five games and a mere 2 points per game. But now, knowing Kevin Durant is all healthy and back in action, Haliburton might just sit the next one out as well.

There are chances that Tyrese might check in during the game against Puerto Rico, if not for the South Sudan game. Steve Kerr has opted to start Jrue Holiday alongside The Splash Brother, adding a defensive facet to their gameplay. At times, even Devin Booker has linked up with Steph. Derrick White follows suit as the glue guy in the same category, providing a reliable hand. Unfortunately, it seems Haliburton has fallen behind all those names in the pecking order.

On the other hand, Steve Kerr’s rotations aren’t consistent enough to form a pattern that fully excludes the Pacer. At the World Cup last summer, Haliburton brought his nifty playmaking skill to Team USA and helped out. So, if someone like Stephen Curry is unavailable for a game, then Tyrese filling in a similar attacking-first role would prove to be a decent shooting threat.

It’s quite evident that the head coach of Team USA has too many big names on the squad to choose from. However, regarding Jayson Tatum’s omission, he recently said, “It’s really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys. And with Kevin coming back, I just went with the combinations I felt would make the most sense. It seems crazy.” 

Well, it does seem crazy for sure, and we, the fans, really hope that Steve Kerr can better balance the playing time of Tyrese Haliburton. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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