Isang tila hindi magandang desisyon na ‘i-bench’ si Tatum sa Olympics, ipinaliwanag ni Kerr
Boston star Jayson Tatum (centre) was left out of the USA's opening Olympic win over Serbia © Arun SANKAR / AFP
Sinabi ni Steve Kerr, na ang Boston Celtics star na si Jayson Tatum ay may mahalagang papel na gagampanan sa tinatarget ng USA na makuha ang ika-limang sunod nilang Olympic gold, kahit na hindi ito naglaro nitong Linggo sa opening win ng America laban sa Serbia.
Ang Five-time All-Star na si Tatum, na isang pangunahing haligi ng NBA championship-winning campaign ng Boston sa last season, ay isang ‘frustrated spectator’ sa bench nang magwagi ang USA sa score na 110-84 laban sa Serbia.
Sinabi ni Kerr, na si Tatum ay hindi pinaglaro upang bigyang daan ang pagbabalik mula sa injury ni Kevin Durant, isang desisyon na sa unang tingin ay tila “hindi tama.”
Aniya, “It’s really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys. And with Kevin coming back, I just went to the combinations I felt would make the most sense. It seems crazy. I thought I was crazy when I looked at it and determined these are the line-ups I want to get to.”
Gayunman, sinabi ni Kerr, “Tatum would be ready to ‘make a mark’ later in the tournament, because he is the ultimate pro.”
Dagdag pa niya, “Jayson is First Team All-NBA three years in a row. He’s one of the best players in the world. And he’s incredibly professional, so he’ll make his mark.”
Sabi pa niya, ang star-studded squad ng NBA ay hinimok na maging isa sa layuning mapanatili ang kanilang Olympic crown.
Ayon kay Kerr, “The key to this whole thing is to put all the NBA stuff in the rearview mirror and just win six games. Jayson is the ultimate pro, a champion, and he handled it well and he’s going to be ready for the next one.”
Sunod na makakalaban ng USA ang South Sudan sa kanilang second group game sa Miyerkoles, bago tapusin ang first round sa Lille laban sa Puerto Rico sa Sabado.
