Steve Kerr said he felt like an “idiot” not playing Jayson Tatum in Sunday’s Olympic opener in Paris.
While the Team USA head coach has taken responsibility for the Boston Celtics star and All-NBA First-Team selection receiving a “DNP” in a lopsided win over Serbia, the explanation didn’t suffice for some. Kerr said the playing rotations will fluctuate from game to game. He praised Tatum as an exceptional player and person and said he handled the situation admirably.
According to Kerr, Tatum will be back in the lineup for the next game. However, that didn’t prevent the media from going after the Golden State Warriors head coach. On Monday, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins accused Kerr of “disrespecting” the 26-year-old Tatum.
“It’s a positionless sport when you talk about the game of basketball,” Perkins began on Monday’s First Take. “When you talk about a guy like Jayson Tatum, he’s not nailed down to one position. Jayson Tatum is a versatile player — meaning if you want him to play the point, he could play point. If you want him to play the 2, he could play the 2. If you want him to play the wing, the 3, the 4, the 5, whatever you want him to play, he’s 6-9 with a versatile package on both ends of the floor.
“Jayson Tatum, the last time Team USA won the gold, Kevin Durant was the best player. You know who was the second best player? It was Jayson Tatum! My thing is, OK, if you’re Steve Kerr and Steve Kerr called up all his accolades, and what this man has accomplished, you know what Jayson Tatum is gonna bring to the table.
“You do not disrespect him and embarrass the way that you did. Because in this world today, we live in the world of social media. We can’t run from it. We can’t hide from it. It’s right there in front of our face. And no way in hell are you gonna tell me that Jayson Tatum wasn’t embarrassed. The brand of looking on social media or hearing about it, because at the end of the day, yes, we should be talking more about Kevin Durant. Yes, we should be talking more about LeBron James after what they did last night.
“But you know what was the real topic of the game? Jayson Tatum with a DNP. My thing is, if you ask me who he’s gonna replace, he’s gonna replace Derrick White. It’s a positionless game when you talk about the game of basketball.”
“You know what Jayson Tatum is going to bring to the table. You do not disrespect him and embarrass him the way that you did.”
—@KendrickPerkins on Steve Kerr sitting Jayson Tatum vs. Serbia pic.twitter.com/R1OpgRaU8a
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 29, 2024
Tell us how you really feel, Perk.
