Arguing about minutes on Team USA is peak silliness

Team USA couldn't ask for a better start in regards to their on-court play in the 2024 Olympic Games.

They've gotten off to a 2-0 start beating two very tough competitors in a Nikola Jokic-led Serbia, a medal contender, and a pesky South Sudan squad that gave them a run for their money two weeks ago as part of the USAB Showcase. Both were blowout wins, and in them, they faced a certain type of adversity — against Serbia they started trailing 10-2 before battling back and obliterating Serbia in the non-Jokic minutes (plus-26), and South Sudan stayed in the game with a barrage of 3s, but in every turn the Americans found a way to keep their double-digit lead.

They're qualified for the quarterfinals already, are primed to move from group play undefeated by beating Puerto Rico on Saturday (I'm Puerto Rican, I can say this), and nothing has happened that would move them away from being the favorites to win gold.

Yet, you scan social media and the narrative surrounding Team USA and it would likely surprise you they've won so comfortably. Even Team USA announcing their starting lineup for today's game turned into silly discussion. Seemingly, the reality of international basketball in 2024 took NBA fans by surprise.

A 12-man rotation for Team USA?

No matter the league, the norm is to have 12 players on your active roster. Five starters and a bench rotation that, in the most extreme cases, uses five players (10 in total). Regularly, rotations go nine deep, and in cases of an important game are limited to eight or even seven.

You probably already know that. However, it's worth reiterating — it's impossible to have all 12 players on a roster play in the same game unless the margin is over 50 points by the second quarter. The 'Dream Team' of 1992 could do that, but these are now different times when the level of basketball in other countries has elevated. Consider that with the fact that, duh, Team USA is comprised of All-Star caliber NBA players. So, naturally, there will be two or three very good players who won't play in a given game, depending on the matchups in a short tournament and how different national teams around the world are built.

Serbia, for instance, has the reigning MVP in Jokic, but besides him features a slew of talented players that can shoot, pass and move without the ball. Notably, they have five quality guards listed at 6-foot-6 or shorter. South Sudan, on the other hand, only has one guard in their rotation in Carlik Jones, two players at 6-foot-6 and five others who are 6-foot-8 or taller. All of them can defend multiple positions, shoot and attack a closeout. Judging by this, and if you're coaching a team with multiple combinations of elite NBA lineups you could throw into an international stage, it would behoove you not to attack both of those matchups differently.

That's what the Americans' coaching staff, led by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, did. In the first game they went guard-heavy with Jrue Holiday starting, while in the second one Tatum drew the start (after not playing against Serbia) and Joel Embiid received a DNP-CD in favor of Anthony Davis. Both seemed like logical moves, using Holiday to chase Serbia guards and Tatum and Davis to match up with the length and speed of South Sudan. And yet...

The conversation around Tatum's DNP is, and I say this with very little hesitation, the silliest basketball discussion I've ever witnessed in my basketball fandom. Mind you, this is representing their country in a competition where egos are put to the side for the betterment of the team (which should be the case in any competition but money and politics get in the way) and the pride of winning a Gold medal. Some really good players were going to be bench warmers at some point in this tournament. In spite of that, the conversation surrounding a 26-point Team USA was about one player not seeing the court. The fact that Kerr had to go about answering questions about one out of 12 very good NBA players not seeing the court is peak silly season.

The worst part is it doesn't help anyone. Sure, if you're willing to believe the coaching staff didn't have a plan in place to give him playing time beyond the first game, which I find similarly silly but for the sake of the argument we'll say is true, every time Tatum would be on the court his every move would be analyzed, and he quite frankly wouldn't be as comfortable.

Such was the case against South Sudan, where he just finished with four points on as many shots with five rebounds. Granted, this would be tossed up as just a regular game (because, you know, there are other 11 very good players that will each have their moment), but now is looked at through a closer lens because of the silly narrative that was created around him. He was involved in the game, the first play of the game being a back screen for him and a drive and dump off to Davis by him put USA up 6-0. Maybe it's the fact that he's playing a different role, where instead of being the 1A or 1B he's relegated to standing around as Stephen Curry and LeBron James create. However, while that's my favorite explanation, I can't help but feel the outside chatter had some part to do with it as well.

It's an unnecessary distraction created out of thin air for what's otherwise been an exceptional preparation for Team USA on the path to a fourth straight Olympic Gold medal in men's basketball. What were otherwise logical decisions made with reason, and with the prior knowledge of the players involved in them, are now being heavily scrutinized for no reason.

Instead of looking at the adjustment of Tatum starting against South Sudan as a case of "we need more length that Holiday nor Anthony Edwards provide and we don't want Kevin Durant on his second game back from injury to deal with that", it's talked about as Kerr being "peer-pressured" into making the move. Peak silly.

I'm sure the conversations will be as great when it's win-or-go-home starting in the quarterfinals. I'm sure the masses will focus on the on-court product instead of focusing on something as trivial as playing time in the Olympics. I'm sure that the creation of theories to explain roster and lineup decisions in Team USA, starting with not having Kyrie Irving on the squad and choosing White over Jaylen Brown to where we are now, will end now.

At least I hope, anyways. Let's enjoy Olympics basketball!