Team USA Head Coach Explains Second Benching of Celtics Star

Team USA narrowly escaped Serbia to earn a spot in the Gold Medal Game of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Just like he did in their first game of the Olympics, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr did not play Jayson Tatum.

Kerr cited "math problems" as the reason for keeping Tatum on the bench.

A NESN article written by Jason Ounpraseuth included a quote made by Kerr after the game.

"It's not what I'm not seeing from Jayson, it's what I’ve seen from the other guys," Kerr said. "Like I've said many times during this tournament and the last six weeks, it's just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game.

"Our second unit was not great last night, but that group has been one of the bright spots on this team, especially on the defensive end. So it's not about what Jayson is doing or not doing. It's just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin has filled in since he came back from his injury. It's just a math problem more than anything."

Celtics fans will be hoping to see Tatum on the floor in the Gold Medal Game along with Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. They will hope that Steve Kerr has found the answer to the math problem by then.

Team USA returns to action on Saturday, August 10 in the Gold Medal game against France. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and the broadcast can be found on NBC and Peacock.