Steve Kerr Discusses 'Noise' Around Team USA Lineups amid Tatum, Embiid Usage Debates

U.S. men's basketball head coach Steve Kerr explained the reasoning behind his fluctuating starting lineups during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"For us it's very obvious watching games that having guys in their usual roles is very helpful," Kerr said on Friday, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "And so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for us to put our five leading scorers on the floor from an NBA season because those guys don't complement each other well."

"Just coaching basketball, it's pretty simple for us, regardless of all the noise," he added.

During the United States' 110-84 win over Serbia to open the Games, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton did not play. However, Tatum entered the starting lineup during the team's next contest against South Sudan while Joel Embiid didn't receive any minutes.

Anthony Davis replaced Embiid in the opening lineup against South Sudan, while Tatum's addition to the starting five resulted in Boston Celtics teammate Jrue Holiday heading to the bench.

The lineup change gave Team USA more defensive versatility, as Davis and Tatum combined to record three blocks and a steal while the U.S. cruised to a 103-86 victory. Haliburton also received some playing time, connecting on two of his three shots from behind the arc to finish with six points in eight minutes.

"This is the fastest team in the tournament we're going to play," Kerr explained after the game, per Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. "We wanted to match up."

After Embiid recorded just four points on 2-5 shooting in the United States' first contest against Serbia, there was some speculation from fans that his benching was performance-based.

However, Kerr confirmed on Saturday that the 2023 NBA MVP would return to the starting lineup during the team's next contest against Puerto Rico.

Despite the United States' lineup changes, the team has still looked cohesive on both ends of the court. With a pair of double-digits wins, Kerr's squad has already earned the top spot in Group C and advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Before officially moving on, the U.S. will clash with Puerto Rico on Saturday. Tip-off is at 11:15 a.m. ET.