Why did Team USA's Steve Kerr bench Jayson Tatum so much in the 2024 Olympics?

The US National Team beat the French National Team for the Men’s 5 × 5 basketball gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics, meaning that for all the drama over sitting star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, it worked out okay in the end. For Team USA, anyway — whether it did for the St. Louis native will probably become clearer close to the 2028 Olympics.

Yet the question remains as to why US National Team head coach Steve Kerr was so stuck to his hockey substitution and matchup-oriented philosophy as to sit a player of Tatum’s caliber. Everyone from Dick Vitale to Bob Cousy and even JT’s mom openly questioned the wisdom of such an approach.

To talk it over, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Still Poddable” podcast, Brian Robb, and Sam Packard, got together on a recent pod. Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ