Charles Barkley Puts Forth ‘Chuck Daly Solution’ To Solve Jayson Tatum Controversy

Team USA’s misery compounded even after an impressive 110-84 win against Serbia in their opening fixture. After Jayson Tatum was benched for the entire game, fans expressed discontent, questioning the management’s decisions. Amidst this growing frustration, Charles Barkley proposed a solution, referencing the team’s former head coach, Chuck Daly.

During his recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Charles initially echoed the fans’ concerns over Tatum’s benching. Following this, he recalled how Daly, head coach of the Dream Team, dealt with this exact issue during the 1992 Olympics. Reminiscing about that period, Barkley emphasized the importance of forming two distinct playing units within a single team,

“That’s not a huge downgrade putting Jayson Tatum in the game… Chuck Daly did a fabulous job. He had two starting units… He said, ‘You guys are gonna start when we’re playing against the best teams… Imma have a second starting five for certain games… You guys [first unit] gonna play first 10 minutes, you guys [second unit] gonna play second 10 minutes… I don’t think any of us played over 25 minutes”.

This surfaced a potential solution while showcasing Daly’s exceptional man-management skills. Despite handling a roster full of future Hall of Famers, this approach minimized the disputes. His method also led to ten out of the twelve players averaging over 16 minutes per game, helping maintain team chemistry throughout the tournament.

However, certain factors worked in Daly’s favor. For example, the 12-man roster included Christian Laettner, a then-college player whose limited game time wasn’t a major concern. Additionally, John Stockton’s fractured fibula restricted his contributions, which helped Daly divide the rest of the roster into two units of five.

The current Team USA head coach doesn’t have these advantages. His roster is filled with 12 All-Stars and All-NBA players, all fit and eager to compete on the biggest stage. Under this difficult condition, he had to make a tough decision, which unfortunately led to benching Tatum during the last game.

That said, Daly’s method still comes across as a better solution on paper than Kerr’s current approach. After all, the latter’s decision has led to significant disparities in playing time among players. As a result, the 58-year-old may look to rectify this soon.

Steve Kerr later opened up about Jayon Tatum

After Kevin Durant recovered from his calf injury, he became a designated member of the playing group. As a result, Kerr had to bench Jayson Tatum to make room for the 35-year-old. Shortly after the game, the head coach addressed this publicly, hinting at a brighter future for the Boston Celtics star, stating,

“Jayson handled it really well. I talked to him today before the game that it may play out this way just with Kevin [Durant] coming back and the lineups that I wanted to get to. But that’ll change. Jayson is gonna play… He is a total pro. He is first-team All-NBA for three years in a row. I felt like an idiot not playing him. But in a 40-minute game, you can’t play more than 10”.

However, the doors for a comeback remain open for Tatum against South Sudan. When these teams met in an exhibition clash a few days ago, the game went down to the wire. So, if the 25-year-old can prevent a repeat of this, Kerr may need to reconsider his lineup.