According to longtime NBA writer Mark Stein, it appears that Steve Kerr, the Arizona basketball legend, will not continue as head coach of the USA National Team. Kerr, who served as an assistant coach for the 2021 USA Basketball Team that secured the Gold Medal in the Tokyo Olympics, later led the team to victory in the Paris Olympics.
Kerr took on the role of head coach for the USA National Team in December 2021. The team concluded the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which was held across Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines, with a 10-3 record. However, the 2023 FIBA World Cup roster lacked the star power that was present in the 2024 Olympic Team.
Steve Kerr "not expected to continue" as head coach of Team USA, per @TheSteinLine
Erik Spoelstra and Ty Lue are frontrunners to replace Kerr pic.twitter.com/56SIi4GCfE
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 18, 2024
Guards Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton were the only players who appeared on both the 2023 FIBA World Cup roster and the 2024 Paris Olympics roster. In the Olympics, Edwards was the fourth-highest scorer for the USA team, averaging 12.8 points per game, despite his limited playing time of 16.3 minutes per game.
Steve Kerr faced significant criticism for his management of the USA roster. He employed a tight rotation, with only seven players participating in all six games of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Notably, Joel Embiid, Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White all had games where they did not see any court time.
The use of Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum was especially controversial. Tatum, who led the Boston Celtics to the best record in the NBA and a Championship during the 2023-24 season, was sixth in minutes played for the USA team, averaging 17.7 minutes per game, yet he did not see action in two of the Olympic games. Meanwhile, Haliburton appeared in only three of the six games during the Olympics.
Steve Kerr has two years left on his contract with the Golden State Warriors. Over his 10 seasons as the Warriors’ head coach, Kerr has compiled a regular-season record of 519-274 and a playoff record of 99-41, securing four NBA Championships. His tenure includes leading the team to five consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2019 and guiding them to another title in 2022.
Leave a Reply