Kerr: 'I felt like an idiot' for not playing Tatum in Olympic opener
United States men's national team head coach Steve Kerr admits that it felt foolish to omit Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum from the Americans' 110-84 rout of Serbia in the team's opening contest of the 2024 Paris Games.
"I felt like an idiot not playing (Tatum)," Kerr said in an interview with ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "But, in a 40-minute game, you can't play more than 10 (guys)."
Tatum, 26, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He averaged 26.9 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists, and he led the Celtics in points, rebounds, and assists as they captured their first NBA title since 2008.
Kerr revealed he had informed Tatum ahead of time that he might not see the court. This was mostly due to the return of Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant - the USA's all-time leading Olympic scorer - from his pre-tournament calf injury.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was the only other member of Team USA that did not see the floor.
"Jayson handled it really well. I talked to him today before the game that it might play out this way. Just with Kevin coming back and the lineups that I wanted to get to. But that'll change, Jayson is going to play," Kerr said. "Every game is going to be different, based on matchups. He's a total pro."
Durant scored a game-high 23 points in 17 minutes off the bench and provided Team USA with a much-needed scoring boost after a sluggish start. The Americans were down 19-14 when the 14-time All-Star checked in, and he went on to knock down eight of his nine field goals in the game, including all five of his 3-point attempts.
"I mean, (Durant) is so skilled and he just looked like he was in midseason form after not playing in a real basketball game for a couple of months. Pretty incredible," Kerr said, per Windhorst.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James added 21 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in the win.
The United States is set to play South Sudan on Wednesday. This will be a rematch of last week's exhibition match in which the Americans needed a last-second layup from James to secure a one-point victory.