Steve Kerr Left Two NBA All-Stars on Team USA’s Bench Against Serbia
By Joe Lago
John Stockton averaged just 7.3 minutes on the original Dream Team, fewer than Christian Laettner (7.6). Gary Payton played 17.0 minutes per game on the ’96 Dream Team, a minute less than Penny Hardaway (18.0). Russell Westbrook, then a two-time All-Star, got only 13.8 minutes a night on Team USA’s gold-medal-winning 2012 Olympic squad, while no-time All-Star Deron Williams averaged 18.0 minutes.
Fact is, with the United States sending NBA players to the Olympics, even some of the biggest names in basketball will have to take a seat. They might not even get to take off their warmups.
Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton discovered that harsh reality after one game at the Paris Olympics.
Team USA — sparked by Kevin Durant’s magnificent first-half shooting display — began its bid for a fifth-straight Olympic gold with a 110-84 win over Nikola Jokic and Serbia. Durant missed all five of the U.S.’s exhibition games due to a calf injury, but he was cleared to play for Sunday’s tournament opener.
Coach Steve Kerr had Durant come off the bench. Someone had to make way for the three-time Olympic gold medalist.
The rotation casualties ended up being All-Star forward Jayson Tatum and All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Tatum and Haliburton watched from the bench, as Kerr stuck with Tatum’s Boston Celtics teammates, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, to provide defensive solidity around the U.S.’s arsenal of dynamic scorers. That didn’t stop Tatum’s fans from taking to social media to voice their displeasure about the Celtics star getting a “DNP-CD” (Did Not Play - Coach’s Decision).
The main target of their criticism — Kerr.
“I went with the combinations that I felt like would make sense,” Kerr told reporters after the game.
These are the tough decisions Kerr and managing director Grant Hill have to make. Not everyone can take the floor like in the exhibition games, where the best fits were still being figured out. At some point, an actual rotation has to be created to excel at the international style of play, most notably with reliable outside shooting and tough defending.
Where Kerr and Hill can be questioned is at the center spot. Joel Embiid has yet to find his rhythm within the starting lineup, and his lackluster, turnover-prone play has caused the U.S. to begin games sluggishly. Against Serbia, Embiid had another poor start and was immediately replaced by Anthony Davis, who's arguably been the best American post player.
Tatum and Haliburton won't be rooted to the bench for the entire tournament. Kerr said he surely call on them at some point. In Serbia, the Americans have already played their toughest opponent in group play. Their remaining group games are against South Sudan on Wednesday and Puerto Rico on Saturday. The potential for blowout wins will be very high.
But is that the type of role Tatum and Haliburton envisioned when they agreed to join this iteration of the Dream Team? Probably not.
Still boiling below the surface is the omission of Jaylen Brown, who remains in the midst of a very-public controversy with Hill. The NBA Finals MVP can take solace in that he's getting the same amount of playing time as Tatum, his Celtics co-star, from the comfort of his home.