In the aftermath of Team USA’s victory in its opening game of the 2024 Paris Olympics, some of the talk was focused on the fact that Jayson Tatum did not get into the game.
Now, leading up to their second contest of the competition on Wednesday, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst is speculating that Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat may be the latest NBA star who doesn’t get some playing time.
“When they play South Sudan on Wednesday,” Windhorst said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “South Sudan’s got a bunch of athletic wing players. Tatum’s gonna be out there. They’re gonna be switching all those screens because he’s gotta play the perimeter. There may be a guy like Bam Adebayo that gets benched in that game.”
South Sudan’s roster may provide the exact opposite circumstance presented by their first opponent, Serbia, which was made up primarily of big men and guards, not wings. That caused U.S. head coach Steve Kerr to use a rotation that did not include a spot for Tatum, who was an All-NBA player for the champion Boston Celtics this past season and recently signed the largest contract in league history.
Though perhaps controversial, not using Tatum ultimately proved to be the right call as the United States rolled to an impressive 110-84 victory on Sunday. Team USA used 10 players in the game, all of whom played more than 10 minutes each.
Adebayo posted four points on 2-for-6 shooting from the field, with two rebounds and two assists in his 20 minutes off the bench. Joel Embiid started at center ahead of Adebayo and Anthony Davis but was ineffective, with just four points and two rebounds in 11 minutes. Davis scored seven points and grabbed eight rebounds, playing 19 minutes.
Kevin Durant had a spectacular game coming off the bench, making his first eight shots and winding up with 23 points. LeBron James contributed 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
The game against South Sudan should be intriguing after Team USA escaped with a one-point win in their exhibition matchup leading up to the Olympics. Adebayo scored four points with two rebounds playing 16 minutes in that game.
The United States then plays its final game of the group stage on Saturday against Puerto Rico as it pursues its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.