Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA ahead Jayson Tatum (10) appears to be like on within the third quarter towards Canada within the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Cell Enviornment. Obligatory Credit score: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports activities Workforce USA coach Steve Kerr stated All-NBA ahead Jayson Tatum will make his Paris Olympics debut on Wednesday towards South Sudan.
Tatum, coming off a championship season with the Boston Celtics, didn’t play on Sunday when the U.S. opened pool play with a 110-84 victory towards Serbia.
Kerr confirmed that he met with Tatum earlier than Sunday’s recreation to clarify why he was the odd man out, primarily based on the teaching employees’s evaluate of matchups and lineup combos towards Serbia.
“Jayson will play (Wednesday),” Kerr informed reporters Monday. “I am not going to reply your subsequent query, which is that if he performs, who does not. However we will want him, and a part of this job for me is to maintain everyone engaged and prepared, as a result of my expertise with that is loopy stuff occurs.”
Kevin Durant scored 23 factors in 17 minutes off the bench and LeBron James added 21 within the victory towards Nikola Jokic and the Serbian squad.
“The toughest a part of this job is you are sitting no less than a few guys who’re world-class, a number of the highest gamers on Earth,” Kerr stated. “On one hand, it is senseless in any respect. On the opposite, I am asking these guys to only decide to profitable one recreation after which transfer on to the subsequent one. I’ve to do the identical factor. And so I felt like final night time these had been the mixtures that made probably the most sense.”
Tatum, who helped Workforce USA win gold on the Tokyo Video games, averaged 26.9 factors, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists for the Celtics in 2023-24.
His athleticism and switchable protection may very well be vital towards a South Sudan squad loaded with 3-point shooters who can unfold the ground. Tatum had 9 factors in 16 minutes in a 101-100 win towards South Sudan in final week’s exhibition recreation in London.
“With South Sudan, it is extra in regards to the velocity, and velocity is a killer,” Kerr stated. “You must be ready for all the things, and which means we want everyone.”
–Subject Degree Media
