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[Sidery] During Team USA’s exhibition games, Tyrese Haliburton was slowly phased out of the rotation entirely by Steve Kerr:



Canada = 20 minutes
Serbia = 15 minutes
South Sudan = 7 minutes
Germany = 0 minutes

Haliburton, who was one of the key players on Team USA’s FIBA roster, appears unlikely to receive many minutes during the Olympics.

Seems odd that Haliburton despite being a great playmaker isn't getting run when USA has a huge problems with turnovers as shown today with the Germany effort.

https://x.com/esidery/status/1815517518192411120

by EarthWarping

37 Comments

  1. Fullmetalaardvarks

    Look I know his defense is pretty bad, but with Bam and AD behind him he’ll be fine. He’s the best assist man in the league and this team desperately needs ball movement and play making

  2. Slow-Raccoon-9832

    He’s not a good defender and whos he going to play make for? Every player on the roster can get their own shot if they need to

    Once KD is back i assume Booker or Holiday go to the 2nd unit and White also doesnt play

  3. RFloresRealtor

    As a warrior fan know this, you will never be happy with his rotation. It’s not a statement but a fact of life.

  4. bambiface

    The 2nd unit needs a primary playmaker badly, and Hali’s the only one who can do that well.

  5. I don’t really see an issue with this. White provides significantly more value on the defensive end and doesn’t need the ball in his hands. Team needs role players. 

  6. phxsunswoo

    I know this would never happen, but if each country could field as many teams as could qualify, USA Team B vs USA Team A would be so goddamn fun.

  7. kapatinphalcon

    Not everyone is gonna get minutes, if they ever watched past Olympics, they should know this is always a possibility if you aren’t a LBJ or KD

  8. BikesAndMusic212

    Kerr retaliating for the Warriors taking James Wiseman over Hali

  9. nba2k11er

    Key player on the 4th place disappointment FIBA team?

    So was Austin Reaves but he isn’t getting PT either.

  10. PhillySlovakian264

    how long will kerr coach team USA?

    next olympics will probably be a different coach, right?

  11. CookieMonsterNova

    who should he play over then?

    ANT? no
    booker? no
    jrue? no
    steph? no

    white is a better defender than hali and is more suitable for the international game

    the pacers were good this past year cause carlisle ran a very up and down offense but in the international game it’s more about sets.

    so ppl get mad at kerr for playing three guard line ups but want haliburton to play more when he’s not better than the guards in front of him?

    from the past two games the starters are going to be:

    steph – pg
    booker/jrue – sg (one of them will prob move to the bench once kd comes back)
    kd (once he comes back from injury) – sf
    lebron – pf
    embiid – center

    on the second unit
    its looking like ANT, AD, Tatum, Bam and when kd comes back either booker or jrue off the bench

    so that’s already 10 guys
    oh and there’s only 40 minutes vs 48 in the nba game

    so where should he play?

  12. Gold-Dance3283

    I find it funny because you all sound like me in Warriors sub trying to argue that Moses Moody deserves playing time

  13. I have been so annoyed by this. A pure point guard like Hali (who is very turnover resistant) is extremely useful on a team like this, who NEEDS cohesion and structure, and needs it immediately without much time to learn to play together.

    Let him do his job (which he is arguably one of the best on planet earth at in the year 2024) and make the decisions about where and to who the ball should go to, rather than letting stars try to figure it out themselves without enough time to get used to one another.

  14. Krypterr123

    People will say the 2nd unit needs a facillitator but they really don’t. Hali needs the ball in his hands to work and he is not good enough to take it from the other guys. If the bench needs a supportive player it needs to be White who can function mostly off-ball.

  15. Return_Icy

    I think Kerr wanted to see Haliburton vs White, basically offense vs defense. If you remember, he didn’t play White the first game he was available, then he only really played White over Haliburton the last 2 games. So almost like an even split. At least I’m hoping that’s the experiment.

    Because do I agree with it? No. If the first unit can get by with Steph (an absolute defensive liability), the second unit – which has even better defense – can get by with Hali. Ant can handle the ball so long as he’s not consistently asked to play point – that’s not his natural position, he’s an attacker and he’s just not going to make the same reads and plays as Hali does to get Bam, AD and Tatum the ball. We’ve already seen that 2nd unit devolve into iso ball way too much without a true PG. Hali should be playing with them over White, and you bring White in if you absolutely need to focus on defense.

  16. Saucy_Totchie

    You would think a PG that can push the pass and find an open teammate would do well under Steve Kerr. However he’s just letting guys just dribble the air out of the ball and put up easily contested shots.

  17. SChamploo12

    Largely due to Derrick White’s addition. Gives you another POA guy with that second unit. Plus you never know when you need a change of pace guy.

  18. Dymatizeee

    Steve Kerr just riding Curry and coach Jackson

  19. JaderMcDanersStan

    I think Hali not getting minutes today was a specific matchup thing. Germany thrives on hunting mismatches. Last year, Hali and Reaves were relentlessly hunted over and over. White fixes that issue so I can see why Hali didn’t get minutes for this specific matchup against Germany.

  20. boyboyboyboy666

    Kerr’s a worse coach than Spo. It’s stupid

  21. Bamfurlough

    I think this is a bad idea. The team needs better passing and playmaking. They won’t be able to rely on LeBron hero ball all the way through to the Gold Medal.

    Although now that I’ve said this I almost expect Bron to make me look stupid. 🤣

  22. Hungry-Space-1829

    Hali’s a hell of a player but at his level + age he is not a MUST play at the Olympics, and I think even the most die hard pacers fan would agree there. That said, he is such a good fit for the 2nd unit and especially with AD. If team USA gets stagnant in a knockout round I could see him coming in and playing a big role/being a spark

  23. GillbergsAdvocate

    Kerr is a tinkerer, he spends a ton of time fucking with lineups to see what works. I wouldn’t be concerned that Hali didn’t get minutes in an exhibition game

    Warriors fans know this, go through it literally every year. And yet so many still complain like it’s something new.

  24. Minimum_Comfort_1850

    Nba coaches are literally braindead and are carried by talent alone. 

  25. ronaldo119

    This is a harsh way to put it. At least to me, it just seems like the standard process of ramping up before a tournament. You start playing everybody then gradually take each game more seriously and play close to what you will in the tournament

  26. boogleymoogley123

    He should be getting more minutes for sure, but what I’m wondering is why is Devin booker on this roster man. I just feel like they already had all the scorers they needed. Should have Jaylen brown on this team instead

  27. Acework23

    Have seen him play? He is lost and afraid fighting for his life put there!

  28. TheSaltySloth

    Ive only watched highlights tbh but he’s bad at defense and seemed to be dribbling off his foot like in that celtics game in at least a couple clips

  29. bmanley620

    Good. Serves him right for being a cocky bastard

  30. I like Hali but I don’t think he’s fully recovered yet.

    If this was first quarter of the season Hali, he’s a starter. I don’t think we have the same player in this team

  31. Not to take anything away from Hali, but I believe D Fox deserves the roster spot over him. He might not be as good of a playmaker as Hali, but his scoring ability and defense is a lot better.

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