Steve Kerr ‘felt like an idiot’ for not letting Jayson Tatum play in Team USA’s opening game of the Olympics

BOSTON – Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said he felt like “an idiot” no Celtics star Jayson Tatum to play Sunday against Serbia in the Americans’ opening match at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Kerr told ESPN after Team USA’s 110-84 win that he warned Tatum before the game about the potential consequences of the rotation.

Why didn’t Jayson Tatum play against Serbia?

Kerr added that Tatum’s lack of playing time was due to Kevin Durant’s return from injury.

“He’s a true professional. He’s First-Team All-NBA three years in a row. I felt like an idiot not letting him play,” Kerr said.

When will Jayson Tatum play for Team USA?

On Monday, Kerr added that Tatum “will play” against South Sudan on Wednesday.

The Golden State Warriors head coach declined to say who Tatum will play minutes for when he returns to the rotation.

“The hardest part about this job is you’re putting at least some world-class guys, some of the best players on the planet,” Kerr said Monday, according to ESPN. “On one hand, it doesn’t make sense. On the other hand, I’m asking these guys to just commit to winning one game and then move on to the next one. I have to do the same thing. And so I felt like last night those combinations made the most sense.”

Two of Tatum’s Celtics teammates played against Serbia on Sunday. Jrue Holiday had a solid performance with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Derrick White also came into the game and scored 2 points.