When people realized that the Boston Celtics had three players on Team USA, most of them thought that Jayson Tatum would play the bulk of the minutes for them.
Some might even make a case for him to be a starter for the team.
That’s why it was such a big surprise to see him being a healthy scratch in the first game vs. Serbia.
And even though Steve Kerr admitted that he felt wrong for not playing him and stated that he reached out to him before the game to let him know that it was a possibility, he also claimed that he could only play ten players in a 40-minute game.
With that in mind, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley shared his thoughts on the matter.
Talking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, the legendary power forward stated that you can’t expect all players to go out there, travel, workout, practice, and stay in shape and then not get a single minute in the Olympics (via ClutchPoints).
“That’s not a huge downgrade putting Jayson Tatum in the game… Everybody deserves to play at least 10 minutes… You can’t expect everybody to go over there and practice and then not play in the damn Olympics.”
— Charles Barkley
(via @SiriusXMNBA)pic.twitter.com/yQw1jVSizi
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 30, 2024
He believes that all players should get at least ten or fifteen minutes along the way, and that it’s not like having Tatum on the floor would be a huge downgrade for them.
Kevin Durant is clearly a better player than Jayson Tatum, and he’s most definitely earned his stripes.
But it’s not like we’re talking about a rookie; he’s an NBA champion and one of the best players in the game right now.
Hopefully, he’ll get more playing time along the way.
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