Amid the news that Jayson Tatum will re-enter Team USA’s Paris Olympic rotation on Wednesday, a hoax went viral that he will take LeBron James’ minutes. However, coach Steve Kerr hasn’t indicated that the superstar forwards will swap roles.

Is Steve Kerr planning to bench LeBron James for Jayson Tatum? Debunking viral rumor (Image credit: IMAGN)

Kerr shocked and outraged many during Sunday’s Olympic group-phase opener against Serbia by omitting Tatum from his rotation. The Americans still secured a 110-84 blowout victory without the five-time NBA All-Star, led by James and Kevin Durant’s combined 44 points on 77.3% shooting.

Nonetheless, Kerr’s rotations were questioned postgame, with the veteran coach explaining his decision to bench Tatum, a reigning NBA champion. He primarily attributed the choice to “matchups,” noting that Tatum would “be back out there next game.”

The following day, the satirical X/Twitter news account NBA Centel, a parody of NBA Central, reported that Kerr said Tatum would take James’ rotation spot.

“Steve Kerr plans to bench LeBron James for Jayson Tatum in the upcoming Team USA games,” NBA Centel reported, citing a fake account of The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

As for Kerr’s actual Monday comments, he reiterated how difficult it was to bench Tatum and his desire to play him on Wednesday against South Soudan.

Afterward, he hinted at using smaller, faster lineups to better match up with the Sudanese.

“With South Sudan, it’s more about the speed, and speed is a killer,” Kerr said. “You have to be prepared for everything, and that means we need everybody.”

However, Kerr declined to name who could fall out of his rotation in favor of Tatum.

“I’m not going to answer your next question, which is if he plays, who doesn’t,” Kerr said. “But we’re going to need him, and part of this job for me is to keep everybody engaged and ready because my experience with this is crazy stuff happens.”

Which Team USA players’ minutes could Jayson Tatum take on Wednesday against South Sudan?

While Steve Kerr said Team USA “needs everybody” against South Sudan, someone will likely lose considerable minutes in favor of Jayson Tatum.

Given Kerr’s comments about matching South Sudan’s speed, LeBron James appears among the least likely candidates. Apart from being arguably the Americans’ top player through five exhibition outings and one tournament contest, James is one of their most athletic.

The four-time NBA MVP also willed Team USA to victory against South Sudan in exhibition play earlier this month. He converted a game-winning layup with 8.0 seconds remaining to secure a 101-100 victory.

Instead, some have speculated that Kerr could take minutes away from one of his big men, such as Joel Embiid or Bam Adebayo. Despite starting against Serbia, Embiid played only 11 minutes. Meanwhile, some have questioned the one-time NBA MVP’s fit on Team USA due to his ball-stopping tendencies and slower pace of play.

However, if Kerr keeps Embiid and Anthony Davis at center, he could give Adebayo’s minutes to Tatum at power forward.

Time will tell how Kerr manages his rotations on Wednesday. Regardless, given the Americans’ stacked roster, he will likely face difficulty pleasing everyone.