The stacked nature of Team USA at the Olympics, with 10 of the 12 players on the roster expected to play minutes in a game means some NBA stars will be left on the bench. Jayson Tatum faced this in their first game and Joel Embiid was sidelined against South Sudan. Kevin Durant opened up on the sacrifices made by these stars without complaining about it.
“Last game, we had a champion and an all-NBA guy not play any minutes, and tonight we had an MVP not play any minutes. They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly.”
Team USA has run out to two dominant wins over Serbia and South Sudan to open their Paris 2024 campaigns, securing a spot in the next round already. Tatum alongside Tyrese Haliburton played 0 minutes in USA’s win over Serbia, with Joel Embiid being the only one to not see the floor during their latest win over South Sudan.
Team USA capped off an excellent team effort to beat South Sudan 103-86, with Bam Adebayo being the USA’s highest score with 18 points (8-10 FG). Durant himself came off the bench and put up 14 points, nailing eight of them via free throws. Tatum’s first Paris 2024 appearance came as a starter, though he managed just four points (2-4 FG).
The decision to bench Embiid was overdue according to many fans and experts, as calls to replace Embiid with either Anthony Davis or Adebayo have been active since their first exhibition win over Canada. Embiid struggled in USA’s exhibition against South Sudan, so it seems Steve Kerr didn’t want to make that mistake again.
The backups on Team USA aren’t average NBA players, but the best of the best. It’s easier to stomach getting a coach’s decision DNP when players like AD or Bam are replacing you. The same applies to Tatum against Serbia, whose minutes were taken up by two legends like LeBron James and Durant.
Tyrese Haliburton has consistently been the least-featured member of Team USA, getting a DNP against Serbia and playing just eight minutes against South Sudan. Haliburton being featured the least makes perfect sense, as the team has players like Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White taking a large portion of guard minutes.
Haliburton is a fantastic playmaker, but that skill is scarcely required within the Team USA offense. If it is, they have LeBron on the court for large periods to handle that responsibility. He might play big minutes in a meaningless game against Puerto Rico, but it’s unlikely he’ll play a big part in the Olympics.
Tatum and Embiid are higher-caliber stars, so watching them waste away on the bench is upsetting their fans and media members. Benching Tatum was justified, especially because that led to the USA winning by 26 points, and benching Embiid was proven to be a good decision given the magnified positive impact that Davis and Bam had at center.
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