Kevin Durant Voices True Opinion On Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid Team USA Benching

Steve Kerr has an interesting way of approaching Team USA's stacked lineup. A few days ago, the head coach got a ton of heat after benching Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton against Serbia. Kerr insisted that he meant to do that, but he'd play Tatum in the next game against South Sudan, even placing him in the starting lineup.

However, this time it was Joel Embiid who was benched, playing zero minutes.

It feels ridiculous to think that a former MVP and a recent champion will get benched in the Olympics, of all places. However, Kevin Durant offers a different perspective, per Ben Golliver.

"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," Durant said. "They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly."

It seems that Kerr's approach to their rotation is to give his players strategic minutes. His decision to bench certain players in the Olympics is based on who he feels could be taken advantage of. It's a sound strategy, but it's bound to get criticized because of who he's benching.

The approach seemed to work better for Team USA. After nearly dropping their tune-up against South Sudan, they cruised to a relatively easy win against them in the Olympics, 103-86. They are now 2-0 and have a guaranteed spot in the quarterfinals.

Team USA's final game of the group stage will be against Puerto Rico in two days. Unlike their last two opponents, Kerr and the coaching staff haven't had any tune-ups with this team. It is yet to be seen if Kerr continues his approach of benching certain players to avoid unfavorable matchups.

Related: Charles Barkley Goes Off On Team USA After Disrespectful Jayson Tatum Decision