Jayson Tatum dispels Olympics theory after Team USA's dominant win

Jayson Tatum claimed he was fully healthy when Team USA faced off against Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the Olympics on Sunday, even though he did not see any action.

In the days leading up to the United States Olympic opener against Serbia , an illness had been spreading around the American's camp, with Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid affected by whatever was circulating around the team. However, Tatum explained that he did not contract an illness, dispelling any rumor that that was what caused head coach Steve Kerr to keep the Boston Celtics star glued to the bench.

"No, I'm good," Tatum told the Boston Globe after he recorded a "DNP-CD." Joining Tatum on the bench was Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, as Kerr elected to play Stephen Curry, Jrue Holliday, Derrick White and Devin Booker for stretches.

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Part of the reason why Tatum failed to see the floor against Serbia was the return of Kevin Durant. Durant missed all five exhibition games leading up to Sunday's clash, with Tatum taking his minutes during that period.

Once Durant stepped on the floor, all doubts about his conditioning were quickly thrown out as the 35-year-old started the game 8-of-8 from the field, showing his absence did not phase him in the slightest. He ended the game going 8-of-9 from the field in 17 minutes off the bench and his 23 points led all scorers.

"I was tired, I'm not going to lie to you," Durant said, per Hoopswire . "My lungs were getting used to that intensity of the game, but it felt good to make some shots."

With how dominant Durant was in his short time , it stands to reason why Kerr elected to keep his former player in the game. After the game, Kerr explained further why Tatum was left on the bench as Durant continued to torch any and all defenders who tried to stop him.

"It's really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys, and with Kevin coming back, I just went to the combinations that I felt would make the most sense," Kerr told reporters. "It seems crazy. I thought I was crazy when I looked at everything and determined these are the lineups I want to get to.

"Jayson's first team All-NBA three years in a row, he's one of the best players in the world. So I went with the combinations that I felt like would make sense and talked to him and he's incredibly professional. That's tonight. That doesn't mean it's going to stay that way the rest of the tournament, so he'll make his mark."

Tatum's next opportunity to see the floor will be against South Sudan, a rematch of a tightly contested tuneup game that almost saw the United States get upset. In that game, the champion scored nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field with one rebound, one steal and one block in 16 minutes of action.

However, if Durant continues the run he has been on, starting from the U.S.'s matchup against Serbia, minutes could be hard to come by for Tatum. Team USA takes on South Sudan on Wednesday.