Draymond criticizes Kerr and Team USA coaching staff for benching Tatum Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
Like the rest of the basketball world, Warriors veteran Draymond Green was baffled by Team USA coach Steve Kerr’s decision to bench Jayson Tatum for the Olympic team’s win over Serbia on Sunday in Paris.
And although Kerr, also Green’s coach in Golden State, already said that I felt like an “idiot” For the election, their outspoken forward offered an opinion on the latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show.”
“Not putting (Tatum) in was wrong,” Green said (Courtesy of Kristen Wong of SI.com). “We all know it was wrong. He should have played. He didn’t… What I don’t like about this is that now it feels like I’m covering my tracks, showing that Joel (Embiid) is out of the lineup. And then (on Saturday), Jrue (Holiday) didn’t play… From the outside, it looks like we made a mistake as a coaching staff.”
Tatum and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton were the only Team USA players to sit out the 110-84 win over Serbia, with the Boston Celtics star denying rumors that he was ill after the game. Kerr later confirmed that Tatum was not benched due to any illness, stating that the NBA champion was benched because Kerr “picked the combinations that made sense.”
“Every game will be different depending on the matchups,” Kerr said. He told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst after the game. “(Tatum is) a total pro, he’s been a first-team All-NBA selection for three years in a row. I felt like an idiot for not playing him, but you know, in a 40-minute game you can’t play more than 10 (players)….
“(Tatum) will leave his mark. Our guys know the key to this is to put everything NBA-related in the rearview mirror and win six games. Jayson is the ultimate professional and champion and he handled it well, and he’ll be ready for the next game.”
Tatum started Team USA’s next game against South Sudan. But as Green pointed out, Embiid didn’t play in that game, which ultimately didn’t matter in the 103-86 blowout win. Then on Saturday, both Tatum and Embiid were in the starting lineup in Team USA’s win over Puerto Rico, while Holiday missed the game for a reported ankle injury.
While Kerr certainly has his work cut out for him practicing rotations with his star-studded roster, Green offered some blunt advice to his coach and the rest of the Team USA staff despite their undefeated record in all games thus far.
“I’m sure part of it is ‘we can rest the ankle a little bit,’ but part of it is ‘we can’t play somebody,’ and frankly, I don’t like that,” Green said. “Come out with a rotation and stay strong. These teams aren’t good enough for us to try to match their lineup. They have to match our lineup. … We have the best players in the world. We’ll be fine.”
Kerr, Tatum and Team USA will face Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Paris Games on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. PT.
