On Sunday afternoon, Jayson Tatum sat on the bench and watched Team USA blow out Serbia, without even having to take off his warm-ups.
He wasn’t hurt, and he wasn’t sick — for maybe the first time in his career, he simply fell out of the rotation. In turn, despite America’s dominant victory, the national storyline became the DNP.
Overwhelmingly, media and fans alike between blasted Steve Kerr’s decision to keep the five-time All Star entirely out of the lineup.
“The reigning defending NBA champion Jayson Tatum — and you can’t find minutes?” Stephen A. Smith yelled on his show.