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Will Jayson Tatum Play Against South Sudan in Paris Olympics 2024? All You Need to Know
Jayson Tatum's exclusion from the starting lineup against Serbia in the opening game of the Olympics turned heads but is he going to play against South Sudan? Let's get to know.
In their opening-round Olympics victory over Serbia on Sunday, Team USA’s starters were rampant and showed no signs of rust. However, some attention was directed toward coach Steve Kerr's decision to bench All-Star and NBA champion Jayson Tatum.
Kerr faced the uncomfortable truth head-on, meeting with Tatum to discuss the decision before the game and subsequently holding several meetings with the media. This included one interaction on Monday when Kerr stated unequivocally that Tatum would start for the United States on Wednesday against South Sudan.
What did Steve Kerr say?
Speaking about Jayson's availability, Kerr said, "Jayson will play [Wednesday]. I'm not going to answer your next question, which is if he plays, who doesn't. But we're going to need him, and part of this job for me is to keep everybody engaged and ready because my experience with this is crazy stuff happens."
Tatum became a bit of an odd man out, according to Kerr, who also said that he and the coaching staff looked over lineup combinations from the exhibition games and studied the matchups against Serbia.
Why was Tatum on the bench against Serbia in the opening game?
Because Serbia's roster included Nikola Jokic and other powerful big men, Kerr rotated three centers: Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Bam Adebayo. Because Serbia has good guards as well, Kerr relied on Derrick White to be a standout reserve player. When White was on the floor, Team USA was plus-15 and he had two steals and a block.
Olympic basketball games follow FIBA rules; they last 40 minutes and are favored for big men because there is no defensive three-second rule, unlike in the NBA, and goaltending is laxer once the ball reaches the hoop.
Kerr added, "The hardest part of this job is you're sitting at least a couple of world-class guys, some of the very best players on Earth. On the one hand, it makes no sense at all. On the other, I'm asking these guys to just commit to winning one game and then move on to the next one. I must do the same thing. And so, I felt like last night those were the combinations that made the most sense."
The reason behind Tatum’s inclusion against South Sudan
When the team faced injuries, illness, or travel difficulties during the World Cup in Manila last summer, Kerr took over as head coach. Kerr served as an assistant coach in 2019 during the World Cup in China and as an Olympic coach in 2021 in Tokyo.
It makes far more sense for Tatum to switch to the wings against South Sudan, a team that is extremely athletic and spreads the floor with 3-point shooters. Tatum scored 6.7 points apiece in the five exhibition games for Team USA. Last week in a game the United States won by a point in London against the Bright Stars, he played 16 minutes and scored nine points.
ALSO READ: Watch: Jayson Tatum Posterizes Caleb Martin With Outrageous Dunk As Boston Takes 3–1 Lead in Series
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