Finding minutes for everybody is going to be a challenge for Team USA basketball coach Steve Kerr and he had to make a tough decision on Sunday during Team USA’s opening win over Serbia in group play on Sunday.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum didn’t get into the 110-84 win despite having logged 17.6 minutes during the United States’ five exhibition games ahead of the Paris Olympics.
However, Kerr and Team USA didn’t have Kevin Durant to turn to during those games and that wasn’t the case on Sunday, with Durant seemingly taking Tatum’s spot in the rotation against Serbia.
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“It’s really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys, and with Kevin [Durant] coming back, I just went to the combinations that I felt would make the most sense,” Kerr told reporters, according to USA Today.
“It seems crazy. I thought I was crazy when I looked at everything and determined these are the lineups I want to get to. Jayson’s first-team All-NBA three years in a row, he’s one of the best players in the world. He’s incredibly professional, and that’s tonight. That doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way the rest of the tournament, so he’ll make his mark.”
Tatum is coming off a season in the NBA where he helped lead the Celtics to their first NBA title since 2008.
But, Kerr said that everyone on the Team USA roster couldn’t get caught up thinking about what they had done during the NBA season and that decisions were being made with what was best for Team USA in mind.
“The key, and our guys know this, is to put all the NBA stuff in the rearview mirror and just win six games, and Jayson’s the ultimate pro and champion and he handled it well and he’s going to be ready for the next one,” Kerr said.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton also did not play in the win over Serbia.
Durant had 23 points in his first game since returning from a calf injury and shot 8-of-9.
The Americans will be back in action on Wednesday when they play South Sudan in the second game of group play.