It appears as if Steve Kerr made the right call to give Kevin Durant time on the court compared to Jayson Tatum. As the majority of basketball fans will know, the 2024 Tokyo Olympics are currently taking place. Given that Team USA has always been considered the favorite to win the gold medal in the men’s basketball category, they have been placed under a significant amount of pressure.
Given that the United States is the home to the NBA, the amount of star talent that they were able to throw into a single roster seems virtually limitless. As a result, Steve Kerr had to decide which stars to keep on the court and what substitutions to make. With that being said, let us take a closer look at his most recent decision.
Jayson Tatum did not get any time on the court during Team USA vs Serbia
Although Jayson Tatum did not win the 2024 NBA Finals MVP award, he did lead the Boston Celtics in all statistical categories throughout the entire postseason. Given that Tatum is considered one of the top players in the league, it is really no surprise that he was chosen as one of the stars to represent Team USA.
While Tatum did get time on the court during the exhibition games that Team USA won, he did not see any action in their first official group stage match against Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Serbia. This undoubtedly generated quite a reaction from fans.
Jayson Tatum Olympic Opener:
0 Minutes
18 Gatorade Assists
12 Towels Passed
10 FrownsWATERBOY TRIPLE DOUBLE 🥶🥶🥶 pic.twitter.com/vWiuodGU6B
— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) July 28, 2024
Steve Kerr might even have regretted not giving Tatum any playing time. However, the performance put up by Kevin Durant gave Kerr no choice but to leave KD on the court.
Kevin Durant led Team USA to victory despite coming off an injury
Some fans will remember that Kevin Durant did not participate in any of the exhibition games for Team USA. He sustained a calf injury and could only watch from the sidelines. Durant appears to have recovered quite well and displayed why he is the leading scorer for the United States.
KD scored 23 points in just 17 minutes of action. He made 8 of 9 shot attempts and was a perfect 5 of 5 from the three-point line. Shooting in such an efficient manner on a relatively unfamiliar international stage is something that most other NBA stars would struggle to accomplish.
As a result, keeping Kevin Durant on the court instead of Tatum was a move that Steve Kerr should not regret. While Tatum is still expected to see action as the Olympics go on, KD looks to be the more valuable asset for Team USA.