Jayson Tatum's “DNP” has been talked about a lot, but Steve Kerr has used it very little. Tyrese Haliburton. Along with Anthony Edwards, the Pacers point guard was the only survivor from the squad that finished in 4th place at the World Cup a year ago. Injured in the playoffs, he had worked extra hard to get to the Olympics, and in the end, he only played an average of 9 minutes for three games. He didn't even come into play in the semi-finals or the finals, but he joked about his two “DNPs” to finish the competition.
On social media, he can be seen brandishing his gold medal with this caption: “When you didn't do anything in a group tutorial, and you get an A.”
When you ain't do nun on the group project and still get an A pic.twitter.com/xpshYZhMyA
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) August 10, 2024
On the Pacers side, we observed all this from afar, but we remain proud to have an Olympic champion in our ranks. “It was great to see him out there. I still think he deserves to play more but he handles it like a pro, and like a great teammate.” GM Chad Buchanan responded.
Steve Kerr stood by his choices from start to finish
Steve Kerr has had to answer questions several times about his rotations, and his choices to go without one or two players for an entire game. Even Draymond Green complained, and the Team USA coach answered him.
“Depending on the opponent, the choice is different from one match to another. We have been training every day with this group for a month, and we know how to get the best out of ourselves.” he said.
A choice that convinced Chad Buchanan. “With so much talent on your roster, it's hard to give everyone the playing time they deserve. Ultimately, I'm happy for Tyrese. He represents our country with class and supports his teammates. Even though I think he deserved more minutes, I'm happy he's here.”
Especially since he has not relapsed after his injury, and he will be able to attack the season at 100% of his capacity.
