Inside The Warriors

Jayson Tatum's Former Boston Celtics Teammate Calls Out Steve Kerr

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum did not play in USA vs. Serbia

Joey Linn

Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA head coach Steve Kerr speaks to a player on the bench in the fourth quarter against Canada in the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena.
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA head coach Steve Kerr speaks to a player on the bench in the fourth quarter against Canada in the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is also the head coach for USA Basketball. Tasked with the difficult rotation decisions that a roster with this much talent brings, Kerr chose not to play Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum in Sunday's Paris Olympics opener against Serbia.

With Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant returning from injury and playing great, Kerr kept Tatum on the bench for the game's entirety. According to Kerr, Tatum handled the decision well.

"I went with the combinations that made sense," Kerr told reporters after the game. "That was for tonight. He handled it well. He’ll make his mark."

While USA won the game in convincing fashion, many still disagree with Kerr's decision to not play Tatum at all. This include's Tatum's former Boston Celtics teammate Theo Pinson, who called on Kerr in a post on X.

"The explanation for JT not playing was flat out sad… A guy like JT you FIND a way to get him on the floor and honestly it’s not a hard thing to do smh s--t is sad," Pinson wrote.

Spending five seasons in the NBA, Pinson has spent time with the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks, and was teammates with Tatum during the Celtics' 2021 training camp.

Pinson was waived after camp and never appeared in a regular season game for Boston, but did form relationships with different players on that team, including Tatum. Disagreeing with Kerr's decision, Pinson made that clear in his post.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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