The Tatum-Kerr drama explained ahead of Celtics-Warriors showdown

The Tatum-Kerr drama explained ahead of Celtics-Warriors showdown originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Whenever the Golden State Warriors come to TD Garden, the loudest boos are usually reserved for instigator Draymond Green.

But there will be a new Public Enemy No. 1 in Boston on Wednesday, and he won’t be wearing a uniform.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr got on the bad side of Celtics fans this summer due to his (mis)management of Jayson Tatum at the 2024 Paris Olympics. As head coach of Team USA, Kerr bafflingly left Tatum on the fringe of his 10-man rotation, playing the recent NBA champion a total of 71 minutes — the lightest workload of any player on the roster outside of Tyrese Haliburton — and outright benching Tatum for both of the team’s matchups vs. Serbia.

So, why did Kerr limit Tatum’s minutes in Paris? How did Tatum feel about it, and how did his Celtics teammates and head coach react? Here’s a refresher on all that’s transpired since the summer, and a reminder of why the C’s should have extra motivation heading into Wednesday’s matchup with Kerr’s Warriors (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston).

Kerr benches Tatum twice during Olympic play

The controversy all started in Team USA’s very first game against Serbia, where Tatum didn’t leave the bench in a blowout win.

“I felt like an idiot not playing him, but you know, 40-minute game, you can’t play more than 10 [players],” Kerr said after the game.

Tatum started the next game against South Sudan but only played 17 minutes, tallying just four points. He dropped a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in 23 minutes against Puerto Rico in the following game, but added just four points in 20 minutes in the quarterfinals against Brazil before getting another DNP in the semifinals versus Serbia.

Kerr gives puzzling explanation for Tatum’s lack of playing time

After Team USA’s narrow semifinal win over Serbia, Kerr chalked up Tatum not playing to a “math problem.”

“It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson; it’s what I’ve seen from the other guys,” Kerr said. “Like I’ve said many times during this tournament and the last six weeks, it’s just hard to…

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Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-11-06 20:04:00

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