In Olympic discourse round Jayson Tatum’s DNP, we’ve overlooked the actual storyline

On Sunday afternoon, Jayson Tatum sat on the bench and watched Workforce USA blow out Serbia, with out even having to take off his warm-ups.

He wasn’t damage, and he wasn’t sick — for possibly the primary time in his profession, he merely fell out of the rotation. In flip, regardless of America’s dominant victory, the nationwide storyline turned the DNP.

Overwhelmingly, media and followers alike between blasted Steve Kerr’s choice to maintain the five-time All Star totally out of the lineup.

“The reigning defending NBA champion Jayson Tatum — and you may’t discover minutes?” Stephen A. Smith yelled on his present. “In a 26-point lopsided victory, you may’t discover one minute?”

ESPN analyst Tim Legler criticized the teaching employees’s choice to bench a famous person of his caliber in a extra pointed manner, citing the truth that Derrick White performed quarter-hour, whereas Jayson Tatum by no means even checked into the sport.

“Derrick White simply joined the crew,” Tim Legler stated on the All NBA podcast. “Derrick White was the fifth finest participant on his personal crew.”

However, the truth is that Derrick White wasn’t the rationale that Tatum didn’t play. Workforce USA enjoys some fairly exceptional depth on the ahead place, and Lebron James and Kevin Durant have been each distinctive towards Serbia, combining for 45 factors on 17-21 capturing. Plus, as head coach of the Warriors, Kerr famously want three-guard lineups — and he’s continued to lean into that choice with USA Basketball, choosing heavier doses of Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Steph Curry and Jrue Vacation. Perhaps these explanations make sense, possibly they don’t.

Regardless, the dialog round this recreation from a Celtics lens mustn’t have solely centered round Tatum’s lack of minutes.

In 16 minutes off the bench, Derrick White performed tenacious protection, racking up two steals and a block. Workforce USA outscored Serbia by 15 when he was on the courtroom. His efficiency and solidified rotation spot, nonetheless, turned an afterthought. In exhibition play towards South Sudan, White helped change the momentum of the sport, dispensing 5 assists in 11 second-half minutes, and serving to safe a game-saving cease on the ultimate possession.

For the second time in lower than a month, Derrick White’s accomplishments have been diminished in effort to raise his Celtics teammates. When Kawhi Leonard was a late scratch from the Olympics crew, White’s substitute wasn’t sufficiently celebrated by the Celtics world, as a result of the discourse centered round Jaylen Brown’s omission. A few of that was undeniably a few of Brown’s doing, however the broader dialog nonetheless failed to focus on the two-way worth that somebody like Derrick White might deliver to the crew.

Derrick White will let you know the skin noise doesn’t affect him — final month, his father confirmed to CelticsBlog his son informed him he was simply going to remain true to himself.

“There’s at all times going to be some type of chatter or buzz about one thing,” Richard White stated. “This complete 12 months, there was at all times stuff being stated. He goes and he controls what he can management.”

Nonetheless, one thing particular is occurring to some of the beloved gamers in Boston, and it’s not getting the popularity it deserves. A participant who couldn’t even get a Division I provide out of highschool has solidified himself as some of the useful guards on a U.S. Olympic basketball crew pursuing a gold medal.

And it’s not simply White both — Jrue Vacation was the crew’s second-leading scorer with 15 factors, and headlined the stifling protection along with his full-court strain. The elite play of the championship backcourt has been ignored, albeit maybe inadvertently — but it surely’s one thing that Celtics followers ought to rejoice. White and Vacation’s play was instrumental in securing Banner 18, and will show to be equally essential en path to an Olympic gold.

It’s the character of the information cycle: harp on the unfavourable, break down the controversy, level fingers, and debate who has been disrespected. Controversy sells, and Steve Kerr created an enormous one whether or not or not he realized the backlash that might observe. And, it’s plain that the Jayson Tatum benching storyline is an intriguing one — it’s extremely uncommon for a participant of his caliber, and along with his resume, to sit down on the sidelines for a whole basketball recreation.

However, if it’s the solely Celtic storyline, we’ve missed a chance to offer credit score the place it’s due and benefit from the play of two of probably the most well-rounded guards in all of basketball. Vacation and White have each been fairly excellent so far, and from a protracted record of proficient American guards — one that features Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, and numerous others — it’s the Celtics’ championship backcourt that has anchored Workforce USA early on within the Olympics.

Olympic play will proceed, and new storylines will emerge. Perhaps Jayson Tatum will get 20 minutes of motion towards South Sudan, or possibly the DNPs will proceed to pile up. Regardless, I’d urge those that observe the Celtics to acknowledge and admire how exceptional it’s that the identical two function gamers who helped safe the NBA championship are getting the prospect to showcase on the Olympics that they’re the very best function gamers on the planet.