(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Jayson Tatum sat on the bench for the entirety of Team USA’s opening Olympic game against Serbia.
This move by head coach Steve Kerr received a ton of backlash and was quickly corrected during the squad’s second outing versus South Sudan.
But people are still talking about Tatum’s absence from that opening game, including Paul Pierce.
On Friday’s “Undisputed,” Pierce said that Tatum’s benching was “a slap in the face” and was caused by Kerr’s simple dislike of the Boston Celtics.
“I don’t think it was humbling. This was more like a slap in the face.”
@paulpierce34 takes issue with Jayson Tatum’s benching vs. Serbia pic.twitter.com/cTemwgS34z
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) August 2, 2024
Pierce’s claim received pushback from co-host Keyshawn Johnson but the former Celtics star stuck to his opinion that it was a sentiment about the Celtics that caused Tatum to miss time on the court.
However, two other Celtics stars – Jrue Holiday and Derrick White – have received time in games even though Tatum sat out so Pierce’s claim doesn’t make complete sense.
Additionally, Kerr sat Joel Embiid in the second game, which emphasizes his claim that he’s making these roster choices to help the team achieve its goals.
He swears that it’s not about anything aside from leading Team USA to a gold medal.
Tatum, Embiid, and others might have to sit out at times if Kerr believes it’s best for his plans.
This might result in winning the gold but it’ll also lead to more comments like the one Pierce made on Friday.
From Tatum’s benching to the selection of White over Kawhi Leonard, Team USA has been mired in controversy at times.
But they are still winning every game and that is ultimately all that matters.
They play their next game on Saturday and it seems certain that Tatum will be in the lineup again.
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