Duke basketball: Steve Kerr says Jayson Tatum will play against South Sudan

The conversation around the benching of Duke basketball standout Jayson Tatum could finally be coming to an end.

After the three-time First Team All-NBA selection did not play in Team USA's opening game of the 2024 Olympics against Serbia due to a coach's decision, head coach Steve Kerr said the former Blue Devils will be on the court Wednesday (3:00 p.m. ET, USA Network) against South Sudan.

"Jayson will play [Wednesday]," Kerr said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The biggest reasoning behind the absence of Tatum was the return of Kevin Durant, who missed all of the exhibition games with a calf strain. Durant, the all-time leading scorer in the history of USA Basketball, led the charge with 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting.

Steve Kerr said he told Tatum that the possibility of him not playing on Sunday could occur and the NBA champion "handled it well."

"I felt like an idiot not playing him," Kerr told ESPN after the 26-point victory.

In its exhibition game against South Sudan, which was nearly a historic upset loss, Jayson Tatum logged 16 minutes and added nine points to the 101-100 victory.

A victory against the Sudanese on Wednesday would secure a bid into the knockout round for Team USA as it looks to win its fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics.

“I’m not going to answer your next question, which is if he plays, who doesn’t,” Kerr continued on Tuesday. “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.”

Grant Hill, a Duke basketball legend and current managing director of USA Basketball, has not commented on Tatum's benching but remains involved in a war-of-words with his Boston Celtics teammate, Jaylen Brown, who was not selected for the squad.