July 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA ahead Jayson Tatum (10) watches the third quarter of the USA Basketball Showcase in opposition to Canada at T-Cellular Enviornment . Obligatory Credit score: Candace Ward-USA TODAY Sports activities U.S. head coach Steve Kerr mentioned All-NBA ahead Jayson Tatum will make his Paris Olympics debut on Wednesday in opposition to South Sudan.
Tatum, coming off a championship season with the Boston Celtics, didn’t play within the U.S.’s 110-84 group-stage opener in opposition to Serbia on Sunday.
Kerr confirmed he met with Tatum earlier than Sunday’s sport and defined why he was the odd one out based mostly on the teaching employees’s overview of the sport and lineup mixtures in opposition to Serbia.
“Jason will play on Wednesday,” Kerr advised reporters on Monday. “I am not going to reply your subsequent query about whether or not he performs and who does not. However we’d like him and a part of the job for me is getting everybody concerned and prepared due to my expertise Loopy issues occur.
Kevin Durant scored 23 factors in 17 minutes off the bench and LeBron James scored 21 factors to assist the group defeat Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
“The toughest a part of this job is you have got at the very least a few world-class gamers, a few of the finest gamers on the planet,” Kerr mentioned. “On the one hand, it does not make sense in any respect. Then again, I ask these guys to simply concentrate on profitable one sport after which transfer on to the subsequent sport. I’ve to do the identical factor. So I really feel like final night time, these mixtures is essentially the most significant.
Tatum, who helped america win the gold medal on the Tokyo Olympics, averaged 26.9 factors, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per sport for the Celtics within the 2023-24 season.
His athleticism and switchable protection may very well be essential for a South Sudanese group loaded with three-point shooters who can stretch the ground. In an exhibition sport in London final week, Tatum scored 9 factors in 16 minutes to assist his group beat South Sudan 101-100.
“For South Sudan, it is extra about velocity, and velocity is the killer,” Kerr mentioned. “It’s a must to be ready for something, and which means we’d like everybody.”
–Scene-level media
