Steve Kerr, Jayson Tatum (Image credits: Getty Images)
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.”

“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.”

Meanwhile, another fan reacted, “Math problem is giving D White more minutes than Tatum? Sure man.”

Another fan said, “you’re not gonna see how JT plays with the “group” if you don’t play him lmao.”

Another fan commented, “Let’s be honest ant was playing badly yesterday he could have put Tatum in but dat nigga Kerr have cte.”

Team USA will compete against France in the gold medal game at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.