Facing their second opponent in the Olympic group stage, South Sudan, Team USA adjusted its starting lineup, inserting Jayson Tatum, who did not play in the previous game, into the starting five.
Tatum’s performance in the game was somewhat lackluster.
At halftime, Team USA led South Sudan 55-36, a 19-point advantage. During this time, Tatum played 11 minutes and 53 seconds, going 0-for-2 from the field with 0 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds. Tatum finished the game with 4 points and a plus-minus of -4.
Regarding the lineup adjustments, Kerr explained that resting Embiid was because Team USA wanted to match South Sudan’s pace.
“South Sudan is the fastest team we will face. We want to compete with them. They hit 14 threes against us in London. For the entire game today, we need to ensure that there is always a defender in front of them when they shoot,” Kerr said.
In the upcoming game against Puerto Rico, Kobe indicated he plans to start LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, and Embiid.
This means Durant will continue to come off the bench. Regarding this, Durant said: “In the last game, we had a champion and an All-NBA teammate who didn’t play. Tonight we have an MVP who didn’t play. There were no complaints. We have players stepping up and playing these roles perfectly.”