"Let’s be serious": Ex-Warrior blasts Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra for leaving Jayson Tatum out of Team USA's Olympic opener
Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra are no strangers to winning championships, but Jayson Tatum isn't either. While Kerr and Spoelstra are known for their coaching excellence and winning multiple titles as coach with the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat, Tatum has won a championship more recently than the two.
But Jayson Tatum did not feature in Team USA’s 110-84 win against Serbia on Sunday, and the decision to not play the Boston Celtics forward didn’t sit well with former Golden State Warriors player Matt Barnes. Seeing Barnes criticize Steve Kerr was strange for many, given that the duo won a title together for Golden State in 2017.
Kerr, who is the head coach for Team USA, and Spoelstra, assistant coach for the U.S., were initially criticized by Barnes on X. He wrote:
“Not sure who’s deciding who’s playing what minutes in these Olympics but for @jaytatum0 to not get any minutes is crazy AF @SteveKerr & #EricSpoelstra”
Matt Barnes was not done though, as he reposted a screenshot of the X post on his Instagram as well. He captioned the second post:
“Great Win but let’s be serious…”
It’s evident that the former Warrior was not happy with the decision. While Team USA did manage to get the win in its Paris Olympics opener, Barnes feels the 2024 NBA champion deserved to feature in the lineup.
Steve Kerr says Jayson Tatum was benched for Sunday’s game
Jayson Tatum didn’t feature for Team USA’s opening game of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and many assumed it was because of some undisclosed injury. However, coach Steve Kerr made it clear after the game that Tatum wasn’t a part of the rotation because of the coach's decision.
Kerr said, via Boston Globe's Gary Washburn:
“I went with the combinations that made sense. That was for tonight. He handled it well. He’ll make his mark.”
The Golden State coach’s decision will likely be criticized left and right, particularly by the Celtics fan base. However, he might get cut some slack as Team USA marched to a convincing win despite starting the game down 10-2.
Tatum wasn’t the only player who didn’t see game action, as Tyrese Haliburton didn’t make the rotation either. The U.S. was led by Kevin Durant’s 23 points, 21 of which came on 8-of-8 shooting in the first half. LeBron James had 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.
Steve Kerr might have gotten away without playing Jayson Tatum on Sunday, but there’s little doubt that the Boston forward will be called upon in the future.