The American men’s basketball team went undefeated in their last five games, surprising fans with their impressive performance against some of the toughest teams in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite their victories, the coach, Steve Kerr, faced harsh criticism. In the first game against Serbia, Kerr benched Jayson Tatum, the 2023-24 NBA champion. This decision drew criticism from fans and analysts. Kerr benched Tatum again in the 2024 Paris Olympics, leading to further scrutiny. However, after the semifinal win against Serbia, Kerr explained his reasoning. According to recent reports from NBA Insider Tim Reynolds, Kerr attributed Tatum’s limited minutes at the Paris Olympics to a “mathematical logjam.”
Steve Kerr explains that Jayson Tatum’s benching is a result of a “math problem.”
“It’s not about anything Jayson is doing or not doing. It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s… pic.twitter.com/S8nL0na9RD
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 9, 2024
“It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson. It’s what I’ve seen from the other guys. Like I’ve said many times during this tournament, and these last six weeks, it’s just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game. It’s not about anything Jayson is doing or not doing. It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything.” Kerr said.
Kerr explained that benching Tatum was not due to his performance but because he couldn’t play 11 players in the same game. Kerr further mentioned that the lineup was decided based on the combination and the chemistry of the group that has played together.
Kerr Faces Backlash as Fans Reject His Explanation For Benching Tatum
Kerr’s explanation did not receive support from the fans, who criticized him in the comments section of the post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
One fan criticized Kerr for benching Tatum, saying, “Or maybe you’re just a horrible coach.”
Steve Kerr explains that Jayson Tatum’s benching is a result of a “math problem.”
“It’s not about anything Jayson is doing or not doing. It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s… pic.twitter.com/S8nL0na9RD
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 9, 2024
Or maybe you’re just a horrible coach pic.twitter.com/s8Enh60NJn
— 𝗝𝗮𝘆 🏂 (@aprcn) August 9, 2024
Meanwhile, another fan reacted, “Math problem is giving D White more minutes than Tatum? Sure man.”
Math problem is giving D White more minutes than Tatum? Sure man😂😂😂
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) August 9, 2024
Another fan said, “you’re not gonna see how JT plays with the “group” if you don’t play him lmao.”
you’re not gonna see how JT plays with the “group” if you don’t play him lmao
— 𝐁𝐱𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨 (@Bxnchero) August 9, 2024
Another fan commented, “Let’s be honest ant was playing badly yesterday he could have put Tatum in but dat nigga Kerr have cte.”
Let’s be honest ant was playing badly yesterday he could have put Tatum in but dat nigga Kerr have cte
— Figs🇨🇦 (@30_Dynasty) August 9, 2024
Team USA will face France in the final game to contend for the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics scheduled for August 11th.
