Steve Kerr clarifies decision to sideline Jayson Tatum from Olympic semifinal vs Serbia: "It's what I’ve seen from the other guys"

Team USA coach Steve Kerr opened up about his decision not to play Jayson Tatum in the 2024 Paris Olympics semifinal against Serbia on Thursday. The 16-time gold medalists eked out a hard-fought 95-91 win against Nikola Jokić and Co., with 10 of the 12 players on the team's roster featuring in the knockout game.

Coach Kerr's decision to keep Tatum on the bench raised eyebrows. As quoted by The Boston Globe, the tactician explained his decision on Friday:

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"It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson; it’s what I’ve seen from the other guys. 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."

This was the second time in the ongoing quadrennial competition that the Boston Celtics' superstar played no part in Team USA's game against Serbia. Earlier, the one-time NBA champion received a DNP during the group stage game against the European country.

Elaborating further on his thought process, Kerr discussed Tatum's lack of opportunity at length:

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“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."

What did Steve Kerr say about Jayson Tatum earlier?

Jayson Tatum has played in three out of five Team USA matchups in the ongoing Summer Games. In two group-stage games, the five-time NBA All-Star was part of the starting lineup before coming off the bench in the quarterfinal against Brazil.

Steve Kerr had earlier addressed the Tatum situation after facing severe criticism for his decision. The veteran coach affirmed that his choices are based on what the team needs on a game-to-game basis.

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"It’s okay. Being in this position, you do what you have to do to win," coach Kerr told Rachel Nichols after the quarterfinal.

"Who you play every game is a little different based on your opponents. We’ve been practicing every single day with this group for a month. We know how to put our best foot forward."

Team USA will next face France on Saturday in the gold medal game.

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