Shannon Sharpe Says Kevin Durant’s Return to Team USA Led to Jayson Tatum’s Absence

Team USA registered their first win at the 2024 Paris Olympics against Serbia. In the lopsided game, Kevin Durant came off the bench to lead Team USA to a 110-84 win. While the dominant win against Serbia relieved American fans, Jayson Tatum’s absence during the game stirred up some controversy. On Nightcap, Shannon Sharpe discussed the topic with his co-host Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson.

Unc believes that Steve Kerr couldn’t free up any space for Tatum to feature because of KD’s incredible form.

The Suns star started off on the bench. But he was brought in immediately to help his side after Serbia went on an early run. KD came out better prepared than most people were expecting him to be and dropped 21 points in the first half. He shot eight of eight from the field and five of five from the three-point line.

Durant finished the game with 23 points in 17 minutes.

Sharpe believes that this rhythm from Durant was too good for Kerr to interrupt. Therefore, the veteran coach allowed the three-time Olympic gold medalist to continue on his run. As a result, JT couldn’t find his footing in the game.

Sharpe told Ocho, “They’re trying to get KD back into a rhythm and so, KD gets going, you don’t wanna break that rhythm. I mean, the guy didn’t miss. So, why the hell you gonna sub him out and put somebody else in.”

Tyrese Haliburton didn’t get a chance to step foot on the Olympic court either and that was also because of how well KD performed in the game. Although Tatum is the reigning NBA Champion and an All-NBA First Team star, Sharpe believes that he will have to accept Kerr’s decision because the USA head coach is trying to win Gold. Therefore, you can’t always choose players based on their resume.

However, the Warriors’ HC later declared that Tatum will get a chance in the next game.

Steve Kerr promises to put Jayson Tatum on the court in next game

The Team USA men’s basketball team is stacked to the brim. In a game of 40 minutes, it is a tough task to accommodate everyone fairly. Coach Kerr faced the same problem during the game against Serbia.

When he saw KD take over the game, he prioritized winning the game over giving everyone their play time.

Kerr admits Tatum was a straight up DNP-CD. “I went with the combinations that made sense. That was for tonight. He handled it well. He’ll make his mark.” #Celtics #Paris2024

— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) July 28, 2024

During a post-game conversation he said, “I went with the combinations that made sense. That was for tonight. He [Jayson Tatum] handled it well. He’ll make his mark.”

As for his plans for the next game, Kerr recently said, “Jayson will play [Wednesday]. I’m not going to answer your next question, which is if he plays, who doesn’t. But we’re going to need him.”

So, things are finally looking up for JT’s fans who waited to see him in Team USA jersey in Paris.