Team USA’s Paris Olympics Gold was a dominant display of basketball. A star-studded team, with the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant leading them, it seemed inevitable that they’d win their 5th consecutive gold.
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However, after the dust settled, people seemed more interested in discussing Steve Kerr’s tactics and his decision to bench Jayson Tatum more than a historic gold. But it seems as if Richard Jefferson, a former Olympic athlete, stands with Kerr and his decisions.
On the Come and Talk 2 Me podcast with Mark Jackson and his son, RJ discussed how the coaches deal with player egoes since they now have a team with a plethora of stars, all waiting to get on the floor.
“That’s the most confusing thing about USA basketball is that we want them to let go of all their egos and be a team. But then, we constantly are pushing, well what’s this going to do to your ego.”
Jefferson justified Tatum’s side as well, claiming he should be pissed. JT just won the NBA championship with the Celtics. However, he also stated how Team USA was supposed to drain the players’ ego.
“Look, you can’t play everybody. KD is coming in, and then you see KD go for, what, 22 in the first half. Those are Jayson Tatum’s minutes. And so, I think it’s hard to fill a competitive team if you’re trying to go equal playing time and give all of the superstars 15-18 minutes.”
With 10 All-Stars on the roster, it was always going to be difficult to ensure everyone got the minutes that the media thought they deserved. So, to win, Kerr decided to go with a handful of players in every matchup, who he believed would win the game.
Jefferson isn’t the only analyst who agreed with Kerr’s decision to bench Tatum. Stephen A. Smith’s co-host on first tae also voiced his support for the GSW coach.
Shannon Sharpe too agreed with Kerr’s moves
Sharpe too seemed to be on board with the head coach’s decisions, claiming that to win games, one needs to stick with the guys who have proved useful in the past.
“I think sometimes coaches do get caught up in the moment and all they are thinking about, ‘Okay, my big guns. LeBron, KD, Steph, Joel Embiid’… So at that point in time, I’m like, ‘I’m trying to find a combination’… So I just that point in time, ‘If I’mma go down, I’m going down with my big guns… Those four guys are gonna play the lion’s share of minutes in the fourth quarter’.”
As mentioned above, any coach would go with players performing well on the floor. And Kerr did the same. The Olympics are nothing like the NBA. Teams do not have multiple chances to bounce back after a loss. Tatum, who shot 0-16 from jumpers during the tournament, could have just as easily been a liability for the team had he been given more minutes.
Now that the tournament is over, Tatum will focus on putting this experience behind him and attempt to help the Celtics defend their title with their opening night encounter against the Knicks.
