Everyone is talking about Jayson Tatum's benching

Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton were the odd men out of Steve Kerr's rotation in Game 1 of the Olympics for Team USA on Sunday versus Serbia. Considering that Jayson Tatum is a perennial 1st team All NBA selection his ommission was extremely mind-boggling.

Team USA picked Celtics guard Derrick White to replace Kawhi Leonard stressing the fit. Jaylen Brown was none too happy about the decision, but White did get 15 minutes of playing time versus Serbia as Steve Kerr leaned on his defense.

Not needing another scorer like Brown on a team loaded with them is one thing, but benching Jayson Tatum? For his part Kerr said he felt like an idiot not playing Tatum, while he explained the decision. Everyone else seems to have their own take as well. Here's a sampling:

Shout out to Jayson Tatum for continuing to be a great teammate who only cares about winning.

DNP in a Team USA win: Still happy.

Jaylen Brown wins Eastern Conference & Finals MVP’s: Thrilled for Jaylen

Tatum following in the footsteps of Celtics legends prioritizing winning https://t.co/6iu7kR1mlu

— CelticsLife.com (@celticslife) July 29, 2024

Team USA will play South Sudan tomorrow afternoon for their next game. Kerr has said that Tatum will play in that one.