NBA legend and TNT analyst Charles Barkley didn’t like the fact that Jayson Tatum didn’t get any playing time in Team USA’s Olympic Basketball Tournament opener against Serbia.
The Americans dominated the game in the second half and cruised to an easy victory (84-110) but the megastar of the Boston Celtics and reigning NBA champion didn’t play at all. It was a coaching decision, as Jayson Tatum was not injured or ill.
“First of all, he’s got to play. Everybody on the team has to play. Do you have to play 25-30 minutes? No, but it’s the Olympics. It’s not like there is such a downgrade. That’s not a huge downgrade putting Jayson Tatum in the game. Everybody deserves to play for at least 10 minutes. Chuck Daily did a fabulous job. He had two starting units. You can’t expect anybody to go over there and practice and then not play in the damn Olympics. You got to give them 10-15 minutes along the way,” Charles Barkley said during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr confirmed on Monday that Jayson Tatum will play against South Sudan on Wednesday.
“Jayson will play (Wednesday),” Steve Kerr told media, via NBA.com. The Americans will look to defeat South Sudan and clinch a spot in the knockout stage.