Team USA pulled off a dramatic comeback win over Serbia on Thursday to secure a spot in the gold medal game on Saturday, all with Jayson Tatum watching from the bench. The Celtics star was given his second DNP-CD by Steve Kerr in the 95-91 victory for Team USA in a move that was roundly questioned by fans and players on social media.
Tatum also received a DNP-CD in USA’s opener of pool play last week against Serbia but had played significant minutes in the past three games. However, with the Americans facing an early deficit against Serbia, Tatum did not get a chance off the bench like he did against Brazil in the quarterfinals. Instead, Kerr elected to stick with a five-man bench that struggled at several points to handle Serbia’s hot 3-point shooting.
Tatum has struggled offensively during the tournament (38.9 percent shooting from the field, no makes from 3-point range) in limited playing time. However, there’s no question that his defense has been a strong point for the team during his appearances. Tatum’s versatility and rebounding helped the Celtics standout as the best defense in the NBA last season. That play put him on a higher tier than players like Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker on that end of the floor over the past year. That fact didn’t earn him minutes over those players and other reserves on Thursday.
Tatum’s Boston teammates also saw limited chances against Serbia. Derrick White played just six minutes while Jrue Holiday (19 minutes) sat during crunch time despite being a member of USA’s starting five.
To his credit, Tatum showed no frustration in the comeback win, cheering his teammates in the dramatic comeback. It will be fascinating to see whether USA’s defensive struggles during the first three quarters against Serbia will open the door for Tatum to get a chance in Saturday’s gold medal matchup against France. It should be a raucous crowd in Paris when France goes for an upset win in front of their home crowd at 3:30 p.m. ET
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