On Sunday afternoon, Jayson Tatum sat on the bench and watched Crew USA blow out Serbia, with out even having to take off his warm-ups.
He wasn’t harm, and he wasn’t sick — for possibly the primary time in his profession, he merely fell out of the rotation. In flip, regardless of America’s dominant victory, the nationwide storyline turned the DNP.
Overwhelmingly, media and followers alike between blasted Steve Kerr’s resolution to maintain the five-time All Star fully out of the lineup.
“The reigning defending NBA champion Jayson Tatum — and you’ll’t discover minutes?” Stephen A. Smith yelled on his present. “In a 26-point lopsided victory, you’ll be able to’t discover one minute?”
ESPN analyst Tim Legler criticized the teaching employees’s resolution to bench a celebrity of his caliber in a extra pointed manner, citing the truth that Derrick White performed quarter-hour, whereas Jayson Tatum by no means even checked into the sport.
“Derrick White simply joined the group,” Tim Legler mentioned on the All NBA podcast. “Derrick White was the fifth finest participant on his personal group.”
Espn analyst Tim legler says that Steve Kerr benching Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum in opposition to Serbia as we speak was extremely disrespectful Derrick White received 15 minutes and he’s a fifth possibility on the Celtics pic.twitter.com/qSH8kz0Znv
— joebuddenclips (@Chatnigga101) July 28, 2024
However, the truth is that Derrick White wasn’t the rationale that Tatum didn’t play. Crew USA enjoys some fairly exceptional depth on the ahead place, and Lebron James and Kevin Durant had been each distinctive in opposition to Serbia, combining for 45 factors on 17-21 taking pictures. Plus, as head coach of the Warriors, Kerr famously want three-guard lineups — and he’s continued to lean into that choice with USA Basketball, choosing heavier doses of Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Steph Curry and Jrue Vacation. Possibly these explanations make sense, possibly they don’t.
Regardless, the dialog round this recreation from a Celtics lens shouldn’t have solely centered round Tatum’s lack of minutes.
In 16 minutes off the bench, Derrick White performed tenacious protection, racking up two steals and a block. Crew USA outscored Serbia by 15 when he was on the courtroom. His efficiency and solidified rotation spot, nonetheless, turned an afterthought. In exhibition play in opposition to South Sudan, White helped change the momentum of the sport, dispensing 5 assists in 11 second-half minutes, and serving to safe a game-saving cease on the ultimate possession.
For the second time in lower than a month, Derrick White’s accomplishments have been diminished in effort to raise his Celtics teammates. When Kawhi Leonard was a late scratch from the Olympics group, White’s substitute wasn’t sufficiently celebrated by the Celtics world, as a result of the discourse centered round Jaylen Brown’s omission. A few of that was undeniably a few of Brown’s doing, however the broader dialog nonetheless failed to focus on the two-way worth that somebody like Derrick White may deliver to the group.
Derrick White will inform you the skin noise doesn’t influence him — final month, his father confirmed to CelticsBlog his son advised him he was simply going to remain true to himself.
“There’s all the time going to be some form of chatter or buzz about one thing,” Richard White mentioned. “This complete yr, there was all the time stuff being mentioned. He goes and he controls what he can management.”
Nonetheless, one thing particular is occurring to one of the vital beloved gamers in Boston, and it’s not getting the popularity it deserves. A participant who couldn’t even get a Division I provide out of highschool has solidified himself as one of the vital invaluable guards on a U.S. Olympic basketball group pursuing a gold medal.
And it’s not simply White both — Jrue Vacation was the group’s second-leading scorer with 15 factors, and headlined the stifling protection together with his full-court stress. The elite play of the championship backcourt has been ignored, albeit maybe inadvertently — however it’s one thing that Celtics followers ought to rejoice. White and Vacation’s play was instrumental in securing Banner 18, and will show to be equally crucial en path to an Olympic gold.
It’s the character of the information cycle: harp on the damaging, break down the controversy, level fingers, and debate who has been disrespected. Controversy sells, and Steve Kerr created a large one whether or not or not he realized the backlash that may comply with. And, it’s simple that the Jayson Tatum benching storyline is an intriguing one — it’s extremely uncommon for a participant of his caliber, and together with his resume, to sit down on the sidelines for a complete basketball recreation.
However, if it’s the one Celtic storyline, we’ve missed a possibility to present credit score the place it’s due and benefit from the play of two of essentially the most well-rounded guards in all of basketball. Vacation and White have each been fairly excellent to this point, and from an extended listing of proficient American guards — one that features Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, and numerous others — it’s the Celtics’ championship backcourt that has anchored Crew USA early on within the Olympics.
Olympic play will proceed, and new storylines will emerge. Possibly Jayson Tatum will get 20 minutes of motion in opposition to South Sudan, or possibly the DNPs will proceed to pile up. Regardless, I’d urge those that comply with the Celtics to acknowledge and admire how exceptional it’s that the identical two position gamers who helped safe the NBA championship are getting the possibility to showcase on the Olympics that they’re the very best position gamers on the earth.
