Steve Kerr explains why he benched Jayson Tatum in Olympic opener vs. Serbia

Team USA won its first game in the Olympic Games in Paris on Sunday, defeating Serbia by a final score of 110-84. Leading the way were LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Durant scored 23 points and went 8-for-9 in his shot attempts, while James scored 21 points, dished out nine assists, and grabbed seven rebounds in Team USA's victory.

However, they won without a key player in their opener, as Boston Celtics star and recent NBA champion Jayson Tatum did not see any action. Head coach Steve Kerr discussed his decision not to play the Celtics star in the opener.

"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," Kerr explained. "It seems crazy. I though it was crazy when I looked at everything and determined these are the lineups I want to get to. Jayson's first-team All-NBA three years in a row, he's one of the best players in the world.

Steve Kerr explains decision to bench Jayson Tatum in Team USA opener

Fortunately for Kerr, Tatum was not needed, as Team USA put on a clinic in their opener against Serbia. But it is certainly interesting that all the lineups he felt made sense didn't include Tatum. Kerr did note, however, that he plans to play Tatum during the Olympic Games.

"He's incredibly professional, and that's tonight. That doesn't mean it's going to stay that way the rest of the tournament, so he'll make his mark," Kerr continued. "But the key, and our guys know this, is to put all the NBA stuff in the rearview mirror and just win six games, and Jayson's the ultimate pro and champion and he handled it well and he's going to be ready for the next one."

The good thing is that Tatum is not likely to just sit through all the rest of the games. Kerr clearly understands how talented Tatum is and that he deserves to play. Hopefully, fans will get a chance to see the Celtics superstar in action as the tournament continues.