Why Jayson Tatum did not play for Team USA's Olympic opener vs. Serbia: Closer look at his absence
Jayson Tatum and Team USA made their 2024 Paris Olympics debut on Sunday against Serbia. The forward arrived in Paris as one of the major faces on the roster following a terrific campaign with the Boston Celtics where they won their 18th NBA championship in franchise history.
Tatum was expected to play against Serbia but he saw as many minutes as Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown, who is not on the roster for the tournament.
The five-time NBA All-Star wasn't included on the injury report for this game, meaning there was no illness or issue he was dealing with ahead of the match. That said, he remained on the bench in Team USA's statement win against Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
There might be several explanations for this decision, starting with Kevin Durant having a terrific game and leading Team USA to a comfortable win. Another reason could be Steve Kerr didn't see him as a good fit for this game, although that is hard to believe considering the amount of talent they have on the roster and how easily they can play with each other.
NBA fans reacted to Jayson Tatum not getting minutes against Serbia
Jayson Tatum not playing any minutes sparked plenty of reactions from fans, who did not hesitate to share their opinion on X. Some said that Kevin Durant's performance was the reason why he didn't see the court while others took the chance to mock Tatum.
"Have u seen how Kevin Durant is playing? This shouldn’t be surprising," one fan said.
"Booker, KD and Lebron all playing good don’t where he’s supposed to play," another fan said.
"Because Durant is Better Duh 🤣🤣🤣🤣," another one wrote.
Others made fun of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White for hitting the court before Tatum while others compared his participation to Jaylen Brown, who did not get the call for the Paris Olympics.
"Jrue and Derrick White really hit the floor before Tabum. I’m crying rn 😭😂," one fan joked.
Jayson Tatum is one of the best players on the lineup and hopefully, he will be given some playing time in their next game. Team USA will return to action on Wednesday against South Sudan, a team that almost beat them in a pre-Olympic exhibition match. The Olympic debutants won their first game against Puerto Rico.