OutKick makes outrageously disrespectful claim about Jayson Tatum following DNP for Team USA

Steve Kerr keeping Jayson Tatum on the bench for the entirety of Team USA's 110-84 matchup against Serbia during America's opening matchup in the Olympic Games Paris 2024caused a stir on social media.

Worse yet, it caused media outlets to take their disrespect of No. 0 to a level they should never feel comfortable with.

OutKick was one of them, with Alejandro Avila going as far as saying that Tatum isn't taken seriously as a marquee star because of instances like this.

"Despite winning his first NBA championship a month ago, Tatum still struggles with being taken seriously as a marquee NBA talent," Avila prefaced before saying, "This was made glaringly evident with Team USA's easy win over the Serbs, 110-84, without the player's help."

Steve Kerr explains decision to keep Jayson Tatum on bench during Team USA's first Olympics matchup

Kerr didn't sound too bothered by his decision and the uproar that resulted from it, claiming that Tatum will make his mark later on during Olympic play.

“I went with the combinations that made sense," Kerr said postgame (h/t The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn). "That was for tonight. He handled it well. He’ll make his mark.”

Kerr could further set fire to Celtics Twitter by playing Tatum exclusively in garbage-time minutes against South Sudan in a highly anticipated rematch after the South Sudan Basketball Federation lost in the closing seconds, 101-100, to Team USA.

Let's hope the Golden State Warriors head coach is above that.

One theory is that Tatum's support of Jaylen Brown, who isn't exactly a Team USA favorite given his feelings about Nike, caused him to be benched. Doesn't sound that crazy, but that theory is just that, at this point: a theory.

The truth about Tatum's benching, Brown's Team USA snub, all of it, will eventually be revealed. For now, all we can do is hypothesize what could've transpired on a successful, but controversial, day in Paris.