Celtics owner fires shot at Steve Kerr for benching Jayson Tatum: "I wouldn't play Kerr"
Steve Kerr and Jayson Tatum made the headlines during the 2024 Paris Olympic basketball tournament for the latter's lack of playing time. Tatum didn't play a single minute against Serbia in the group stage and the semifinal, which sparked plenty of reactions from fans.
Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck shared his thoughts, taking a shot at Kerr for his decisions regarding Tatum.
“I mean, I wouldn't play Steve Kerr, let me put it that way. What's going on? It's a mystery. It's a complete mystery. I think Jayson [Tatum] doesn't deserve anything but praise, kudos and playing time," Grousbeck said on The Greg Hill Show.
"I think he and Jaylen [Brown] led us to this unbelievable championship and they're not apparently helping the Olympic team. They're not able to be helpful in the Olympic team and just leave it at that. It's mystifying."
In the first and most recent game of Team USA, Kerr gave zero minutes to Jayson Tatum. The opponent was the same, Serbia, leading Kerr to sit Tatum out despite the team's struggles against them in the semifinals.
The game was decided in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter when Steph Curry made a clutch 3-pointer to give the Americans the 87-86 lead. Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant took over to lead Team USA to the promised land.
They got the 91-86 win over Serbia while Tatum watched the whole game from the bench.
Steve Kerr explains decision to sideline Jayson Tatum against Serbia
After the controversial decision about Tatum, Steve Kerr explained that the performances of some players put them ahead of Tatum in the pecking order.
"It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson; it’s what I’ve seen from the other guys," Kerr said (h/t The Boston Globe). "Like I’ve said many times during this tournament and the last six weeks, it’s just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game."
Despite the second unit struggling to get things going, Kerr still praised them and said combinations played a key role in his decision.
"Our second unit was not great last night, but that group has been one of the bright spots on this team, especially on the defensive end. So it’s not about what Jayson is doing or not doing. It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin (Durant) has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything."
Team USA faces France in the gold medal game tomorrow, and it could be a good option to give Tatum some minutes again.