Twitter raises injury, conspiracy questions after Kerr DNP’s Tatum at Olympics

Steve Kerr’s shocking decision to bench Jayson Tatum in Team USA’s first game of the Olympics has set NBA Twitter on fire. Several reporters and players commented on Tatum’s absence from the rotation, raising injury and illness concerns.

Former Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas publicly questioned Tatum’s health during USA’s 110-84 win over Serbia.

Many reporters speculated on the situation, giving their live thoughts on Tatum’s spot in the rotation and whether a potential illness was keeping him off the floor.

Meanwhile, many others floated around controversial conspiracies surrounding Kerr’s benching of the recent NBA champion. Celtics Twitter is fired up about the Tatum decision, to say the least.

After the game, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe confirmed that Tatum was completely healthy. This news makes Kerr’s decision even more shocking, and Celtics fans have not hidden their frustrations with the Golden State Warriors (and Team USA) head coach. 

Steve Kerr addressed his decision to bench Jayson Tatum

Kerr was questioned about his viral decision after the contest, and he told the press that Tatum was, in fact, a regular DNP-CD. This marks the first DNP-CD of Tatum’s career. However, Kerr did provide some insight that might leave Celtics fans hopeful for Tatum’s tournament going forward.

“I went with the combinations that made sense," Kerr prefaced before saying, "That was for tonight. He handled it well. He’ll make his mark.”

Unlike Tatum, Celtics guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White saw ample playing time. The two-way stars combined for four steals and made a significant impact on both ends of the floor.

Holiday started for Team USA and scored 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. He also added four rebounds and three assists in almost 24 minutes of action. White only took two shots and ended with two points, but he recorded a +15 plus-minus in just under 16 minutes.

After taking the court for all five of his pre-Olympics exhibition outings, Tatum is apparently no longer a lock to see the floor for Kerr’s Team USA squad. This seems utterly ridiculous, given Tatum’s recent championship run and his three consecutive First Team All-NBA selections.

In the 2024 playoffs, Tatum became just the sixth player in basketball history to lead a team in points, rebounds, and assists on the way to a championship. Tatum also had one of the best-ever scoring runs by an American player in the 2020 Olympics, averaging 15.2 points on 63.3% true shooting.

Needless to say, Tatum’s absence from the Team USA rotation sent shockwaves throughout NBA Twitter. Assuming Tatum eventually sees the floor in these Olympics, fans should expect Boston’s franchise player to come out with an extra chip on his shoulder.