Celtics
Kerr kept Jayson Tatum out of the lineup twice during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Steve Kerr made some interesting comments about the management of his Warriors roster. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Steve Kerr has come under fire again for his use – or lack thereof – of Jayson Tatum during the 2024 Paris Olympics, now that the Celtics superstar looks like an early MVP candidate.
His recent comments about his handling of the Warriors 2024-25 rotation probably don’t help matters.
On Thursday, Kerr told reporters that this year’s Warriors team was as deep a team as he had ever coached. That would group them with four NBA championship teams, two of which contained Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, along with strong supporting casts. Kerr made the comparison when explaining his use of a 12-man rotation to start the season.
“I’ve never played 12 before, but we’re going to do it,” Kerr said. “I was thinking, ‘Maybe we’ll just play 10, and I’ll just have to tell two of these guys to sit down,’ and I couldn’t justify that.”
Whether or not Kerr is only including his NBA roster in his assertion of the Warriors’ depth, it’s a curious decision on his part to use a 12-man NBA rotation, but not with his Olympic roster made up of the best players in the league. Kerr infamously beat DNP’s Tatum twice in the Olympics, arguing that he didn’t always fit into the lineup properly.
Current Celtics broadcaster and former NBA player Eddie House was among those who questioned Kerr’s comments, given his handling of Team USA this summer.
“When I hear him say that, I can’t believe it,” House said of Kerr. “He just came out of the Olympics. You just coached the best players in the United States of America. And you say you could delve deeper into this [Warriors] team?
“I’m trying to understand. Make sense of it, please.
House embodied what many Celtics fans probably feel after Kerr’s comments. Tatum was a first-team All-NBA selection the season before the Olympics.
Now, in his first three games this season, Tatum is averaging 33 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game on 54.7% shooting from the field and 48.6% shooting from three-point territory.
Tatum and the Celtics won’t have to wait long to take on Kerr’s Warriors. Boston will host Golden State on November 6 at TD Garden.
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