With Kevin Durant coming back from a calf injury, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum sat out the entire Paris Olympics opener. FIRST Take analyst Kendrick Perkins has blasted Team USA coach Steve Kerr for not playing Tatum in the 110-84 win over Serbia.
After Tatum didn't play a single minute in Team USA’s blowout win over Nikola Jokic and Serbia, fans trolled him on social media. Perkins criticized Kerr for the online vitriol Tatum is receiving, despite his recent NBA Championship win. Perkins defended Tatum’s skills and questioned why Kerr didn't utilize him.
“It’s a positionless sport when you talk about the game of basketball. When you talk about a guy like Jayson Tatum, he’s not nailed down to one position. Jayson Tatum is a versatile player,” said Perkins.
This recent appearance is Tatum’s second time representing Team USA for the Olympics.
Kendrick Perkins emphasized Jayson Tatum's versatility for Team USA
The former Celtic emphasized, “If you want him to play the point, he could play the point. If you want him to play the two, he can play the two. If you want him to play the wing, the three, the four, the five? Whatever you want him to play.”
“He’s 6’9 with a versatile package on both ends of the floor.”
Tatum, along with Tyrese Haliburton, was the only player who didn’t see any playing time in the first game, leading to widespread ridicule. Perkins contends that the lack of respect for Tatum is baffling, given his versatility and ability to play any position on the court.
“Jayson Tatum, the last time that Team USA won the gold? Kevin Durant was the best player. You know who was the second-best player? It was Jayson Tatum!” added the FIRST Take analyst.
In the 2020 Olympics, which were delayed by a year due to the pandemic, Tatum was the second-leading scorer behind Durant, averaging 15.2 points per game on 49.3% shooting overall and 44.7% from three-point range in six games off the bench.
Even after winning his first championship and becoming the league’s highest-paid player recently, Tatum did not see any playing time in Team USA’s victory.
Steve Kerr benching Jayson Tatum for Derrick White and Jrue Holiday
Team USA frequently faces challenges balancing their talent with a roster of all-time greats. This situation left Tatum in a tough spot, especially with the social media reaction. It also didn’t help that Tatum’s Celtics teammates, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, received playing time in the game against Serbia.
“My thing is, if you’re Steve Kerr? And Steve Kerr called out all his accolades of what this man has accomplished. You know what Jayson Tatum is going to bring to the table. You do not disrespect him and embarrass him the way that you did,” Perkins reiterated.
Instead of Tatum, Durant came off the bench in his first Team USA appearance of the summer after missing five pre-Olympic exhibition games. The Phoenix Suns star dazzled, scoring 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting (88.9%) in under 17 minutes on the court.
Tatum will be playing against South Sudan
“In this world today, we live in a world of social media. We can’t run from it, we can’t hide from it. It’s right there in front of our face. No way in hell you’re going to tell me that Jayson Tatum wasn’t embarrassed of looking at social media or hearing about it.”
Steve Kerr confessed he felt like an “idiot” for leaving Jayson Tatum on the bench during Sunday's Olympic opener in Paris. He assured that Tatum will be included in the lineup for Team USA’s game against South Sudan on Wednesday.
“At the end of the day? Yes, we should be talking more about Kevin Durant. Yes, we should be talking more about LeBron James after what they did last night. But you know what was the real topic of the game? Jayson Tatum with a DNP,” Kendrick Perkins concluded.
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