Bob Cousy Suggests Steve Kerr Has Anti-Celtics Bias After Jayson Tatum USA Benching

Just as discussion about Jayson Tatum's playing time for Team USA had finally settled down, head coach Steve Kerr's decision not to use the Boston Celtics star in Thursday's Olympic semifinal win over Serbia has given some people the opportunity to talk about it again.

Celtics legend Bob Cousy told Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe that Tatum not playing was due to "some kind of bias that (Kerr)'s got against the Celtics."

"This isn't just a snub," Cousy added. "This is an embarrassment for that poor kid all over the [expletive] world. The Olympics have gotten that big. Everyone's going to think that there's something wrong this this kid."

Also weighing in was Tatum's mom, Brandy Cole, who responded to a question on X from Dick Vitale asking if the Celtics forward was injured:

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Kerr explained that Tatum's playing time is entirely about the depth on the U.S. roster and not anything he is or isn't doing.

"It's not what I'm not seeing from Jayson. It's what I've seen from the other guys," Kerr said. "Like I've said many times during this tournament and this last six weeks, it's just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game."

Tatum's minutes have become such fodder for conversation that the situation has at times taken over what Team USA is doing in games, but it's not like his absence on Thursday was a surprise if you have paid attention to Kerr's rotations in the Olympics.

Kerr didn't play Tatum in the first game against Serbia in group play on July 28. Tatum was in the starting lineup for the next two games against South Sudan and Puerto Rico. He came off the bench in the quarterfinal against Brazil, but was one of three U.S. players to play at least 20 minutes.

Serbia led the semifinal by as many as 17 points, meaning Kerr had to rely on his starters more than in any other game in the tournament. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Devin Booker all played at least 24 minutes. Kevin Durant, who was used off the bench, also played 24 minutes.

Cousy's assessment that Kerr has a bias against the Celtics doesn't really hold water. There are three Celtics players on the U.S. roster. Jrue Holiday has started three times and has been on the floor for at least 15 minutes in each of the four games he has played. Derrick White has played in all five games.

If Durant hadn't been able to return from the calf injury that kept him out of Team USA's training camp and all five exhibition games leading up to the Olympics, Tatum almost certainly would have had a bigger role.

No one mentions that Tyrese Haliburton didn't play on Thursday and has logged a total of 26 minutes in the Olympics through five games.

Kerr's job is not to satisfy a minutes quota for fans and media to stop asking questions. He is picking the best matchups as he sees fit to help the United States win gold at the Olympics.

The path to getting there always meant that some players were going to sacrifice playing time. No one can argue with the results because the U.S. is one victory away from an undefeated tournament and a fifth straight Olympic gold medal.