Inside The Warriors

Steve Kerr Announces Rotation Change for USA vs. South Sudan

Golden State Warriors and USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr is making a change

Joey Linn

Dec 12, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center.
Dec 12, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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USA Basketball defeated Serbia on Sunday to move to 1-0 in the Paris Olympics Group Phase. It was a convincing win for Team USA, but it did not come without controversy, as head coach Steve Kerr did not play Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum a single minute.

Out of Kerr's rotation due to Kevin Durant's return from injury, Tatum was a DNP-CD, which Kerr explained after the game.

"I went with the combinations that made sense," Kerr told reporters on the decision to keep Tatum on the bench. "That was for tonight. He handled it well. He’ll make his mark."

Saying that Tatum will make his mark, it doesn't seem the Golden State Warriors head coach will be waiting long for that to happen, as he told ESPN's Brian Windhorst that Tatum will be back in the rotation against South Sudan.

"He handled it really well," Kerr said. "I talked to him today before the game that it may play out this way just with Kevin coming back... But that will change. Jayson is gonna play. Every game will be different, based on matchups... I felt like an idiot not playing him, but in a 40 minute game you can't play more than 10... He'll be back out there next game."

Kerr reiterated again on Monday, per the Athletic, that Tatum "will play" in Wednesday's game against South Sudan, but would not reveal who will lose minutes as a result.

Tatum played 16 minutes in USA's 101-100 Showcase Game win over South Sudan, shooting just 3/8 from the field and missing all three of his three-point attempts. That said, USA struggled as a group from distance in that game, and should be much sharper in the rematch.

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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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