The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics are taking on the red-hot Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, which means Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is getting a look at a couple of Celtics players he coached during this summer’s Olympics.
One of them is star forward Jayson Tatum, whom he infamously benched at one point during the Olympics.
Kerr was asked if he regrets benching Tatum during the Olympics, and while he stopped short of saying he does, he did say he didn’t like not playing the Celtics star.
“Do I have any regrets? …. I didn’t enjoy not playing Jayson … those are not fun decisions, but our guys were all amazing.”
“Do I have any regrets? …. I didn’t enjoy not playing Jayson … those are not fun decisions, but our guys were all amazing.”
–– Steve Kerr on benching Jayson Tatum in Olympics
📺Full Interview: https://t.co/8zcuVSnWaV
⚡️ by @PrizePicks & @Gametime #celtics #warriors pic.twitter.com/RuChYh1XbQ— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) November 6, 2024
Kerr coached Team USA men’s basketball to a gold medal in August, although there were some tense moments, especially during the semifinal game versus Serbia.
With the wealth of star power the United States had, which led some to call them the “Avengers,” tough decisions had to be made with certain players for the good of the team.
Tatum has emerged as one of basketball’s best forwards over the last few years, and some feel this is the season where he will win his first regular season MVP.
However, he has a history of underperforming in big games, and sure enough, he played poorly in this past summer’s NBA Finals, shooting just 38.8 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from 3-point range.
Through eight games this season, Tatum is averaging 30.0 points a game on 48.1 percent overall shooting as the Celtics have started 7-1.
NEXT:
Jayson Tatum Admits He Almost Asked For Trade From Celtics
