PARIS — The United States pulled off a stunning performance in its opening game of the Olympics, beating Serbia 110-84 on Sunday. But part of the game was inevitably focused on coach Steve Kerr’s decision to rest NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum.
Kerr dealt with the awkward reality head-on, meeting with Tatum before the game to explain the decision, and then in multiple meetings with the media. That was on Monday, when Kerr made it clear that Tatum would be in the lineup Wednesday when the Americans face South Sudan.
Jason will play [Wednesday]“I’m not going to answer your next question, which is if he plays, who doesn’t play,” Kerr said. “But we’re going to need him, and part of that job for me is to keep everybody engaged and prepared, because my experience with this is that we get into some crazy stuff.”
Kerr explained that as he and the coaching staff studied the games against Serbia and reviewed the performance of different lineups in friendlies, Tatum became a bit of an eccentric man.
With Nikola Jokic and other strongmen on Serbia’s roster, Kerr chose three centermen (Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo) in the starting lineup. Serbia also had strong guards, which led Kerr to rely on Derrick White as a key backup. White had two steals and one block, and Team USA led by 15 points when White was on the court.
FIBA games at the Olympics are 40 minutes long, big men are preferred, there is no three-second defensive rule like in the NBA, and goaltending is relaxed once the ball hits the rim.
“The hardest part of this job is that you’re sitting in front of at least world-class players, some of the best players on the planet,” Kerr said. “On the one hand, it doesn’t make any sense. On the other hand, I’m asking these players to commit to winning one game and then moving on to the next game. I have to do the same. That’s why I felt this was the most logical set-up last night.”
Kerr then detailed the situations he has faced with the national team when unforeseen circumstances have strained the U.S. roster. Kerr was an assistant coach at the 2019 World Cup in China and at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and was the head coach last summer at the World Cup in Manila when the team had to deal with injuries, illnesses or travel issues.
Against South Sudan, a physical team that spreads out on the court thanks to its three-point shooters, Tatum and his ability to shift to the wings makes more sense.
Tatum has averaged 6.7 points in the U.S. team’s five games. He played 16 minutes and scored nine points against the Bright Stars last week in London in a game the U.S. won by one point.
Bright Stars scored 14 hat-tricks in that match.
“As far as South Sudan is concerned, it is about speed, and speed kills. We have to be prepared for everything, and that means we need everyone,” Kiir said.