Jayson Tatum Roasted After Getting Benched Vs. Serbia

Team USA is off to a scorching start to the Olympics. There were doubts heading into the men's basketball game against Serbia on Sunday that the team might falter due to the results of their last two games. However, the Americans erased all of that doubt by dominating Serbia, 110-84.

Interestingly, though, a couple of players were noticeably absent during the game. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton were DNPs (Did Not Play) for the Olympic opener.

Unsurprisingly, Tatum and Haliburton became the butt of jokes on social media after the game.

Given how much the U.S. was in the lead, you would've expected both players to get a few minutes.

Tatum, in particular, had more heat on him. Fans hilariously noted that late addition Derrick White saw more time than his Celtics teammate.

Kerr's decision had some even wondering if this was all a master plan to get the Celtics to implode.

"Steve kerr showing solidarity with jaylen brown by giving jayson tatum the same amount of minutes as him," Molly Morrison joked.

All jokes aside, it was definitely hard for Tatum to crack the rotation in this game. Durant started white-hot for Team USA off the bench, cutting into his minutes.

You could argue Tatum could've taken the minutes from, say, Devin Booker or Joel Embiid. Ultimately, the decision to go with the 10-man rotation paid off for Team USA, as it cruised to a relatively easy win.

Tatum will have a chance to prove himself against a familiar foe, South Sudan, next.

Related: Jayson Tatum Reveals One Way He Failed Jaylen Brown