Kerr expects Celtics fans to be ‘right on his tail’ after Tatum’s benching

Kerr expects Celtics fans to be ‘all over’ him after Tatum’s benching originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steve Kerr knows Boston Celtics fans will make his life miserable after Jayson Tatum’s limited playing time with Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

That will certainly be the case when the Warriors visit TD Garden on November 6, but Coach Kerr won’t lose any sleep over that.

“I think they’re going to totally get me,” Kerr told NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner with a laugh. “That’s fine.”

Despite leading Team USA to an Olympic gold medal this summer, Kerr faced widespread criticism after Tatum played infrequently, including a DNP in the semifinals against Serbia.

Under the four-time NBA champion coach, Tatum ranked 10th on the team in points per game (5.3) while shooting just 41.2 percent.

That was only more than Derrick White and Tyrese Haliburton on the American roster, despite the superstar coming off an NBA championship season with the Celtics in 2024.

Even then, Kerr admitted that Tatum, like Halirbuton and White, handled their limited roles in Paris with sportsmanship.

“Those guys were all great,” Kerr told Ashburner. “Jayson handled it so well. Then of course it became a media issue, but he couldn’t have handled it any better.

“Tyrese, same. Every game was different. And that’s what we talked about from the first night – 12 superstars and probably only nine who can play consistent minutes.”

“They were very professional and supportive of each other. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Kerr remains calm about the booing he’ll face in Boston, but perhaps Steph Curry and company can do their best on the court and silence the Boston crowd.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast