Head coach Steve Kerr kept a 10-man rotation throughout the contest. He utilized a three-guard rotation in his starting lineup while also bringing Derrick White and Anthony Edwards off the bench. As such, Devin Booker started as a small forward.
Due to Kerr’s decision to run a three-guard rotation, Jayson Tatum found himself glued to the bench. He registered what could possibly be the first “did not play, coaches decision” of his life. Kerr has since noted that Tatum will play against South Sudan on Wednesday.
“Jayson Tatum will play,” Kerr said during a postgame news conference. “I’m not going to answer your next question, which is if he plays, who doesn’t,” Kerr said. “But we’re going to need him, and part of this job for me is to keep everybody engaged and ready, because my experience with this is crazy stuff happens.”
While the logic behind sitting Tatum is clear, Kerr is still facing significant criticism. Tatum is arguably a top-10 player in the world. He was likely the second-best player during Team USA’s run to a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and he was clearly the Celtics’ best player this past season, when they won the NBA championship.
