Despite Team USA’s gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Jayson Tatum’s absence from the lineup became a point of contention. Many fans criticized head coach Steve Kerr, raising questions about his judgment.
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Amidst the frustration, Shannon Sharpe recently shared a contradictory perspective to support the 58-year-old’s decision.
On Nightcap, Unc discussed the start of the fourth quarter against Serbia with his co-panelist, Chad Johnson, while expressing his stance. He believed Team USA had fielded the best possible lineup, especially considering they were trailing by 13 points at one stage.
The 56-year-old consequently backed Coach Kerr’s judgment under those circumstances, saying:
“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'”.
Given the roster dynamics of Team USA, Sharpe’s words were understandable. Bringing in the big three of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, was crucial at that stage. After all, with 10 championships between them and a proven track record of altering the momentum of games for over a decade, it was a no-brainer to have them on the court during crunch moments.
Pairing them up with Joel Embiid and Devin Booker was also justifiable considering the players’ recent forms. The former’s 7ft stature gave Team USA an advantage in the paint, while the latter was the glue that held the lineup together.
Fielding these five together seemed like a calculated decision on Kerr’s part. After all, the Team USA head coach had hinted at this right after the tournament’s opening game. While explaining Tatum’s DNP on that occasion, he mentioned in the post-game interview,
“It’s tough but Jayson handled it really well. I talked to him today before the game that it may play out this way with Kevin coming back and the lineups that I wanted to get to”.
Interestingly, Kerr’s bets played out just as he intended. In the semi-final against Serbia, the big three delivered when it mattered most. While Durant’s 9-point cameo off the bench kept Team USA afloat, Curry’s 36-point night blew the opposition away.
Additionally, James’ heroic triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists never let the game get too far beyond their reach.
Embiid was also phenomenal throughout the game, scoring 19 points while shooting a remarkable 72.7% from the field. Meanwhile, Booker made up for the lineup’s defensive shortcomings while contributing a solid 50% shooting from the field.
This led to a dramatic comeback for Team USA as they outscored Serbia 32-15 in the fourth to secure a 95-91 victory.
This prompted Kerr to later start the final with the exact five and, as expected, the combination worked wonders once again. Each of James, Curry, Durant, and Booker scored in double digits, helping Team USA cruise past France.
Their performance secured a fifth consecutive gold medal and continued their dominance in world basketball.
So, Tatum unfortunately fell down the pecking order due to the existing roster dynamics. Although it seemed like an injustice, especially considering his contributions to the recent NBA championship and Team USA’s 2020 Summer Games gold medal, the 26-year-old had to live with this.
This moment again pointed to the harsh realities of the game, with JT now having to move forward from it.
