ESPN analyst says Duke basketball star was disrespected, embarrassed by Team USA

The biggest storyline that has emerged from the first game of the Olympics for Team USA was Steve Kerr's decision not to play Jayson Tatum in its victory against Serbia.

Kevin Durant returned for the first time this summer and stunned the world with a near perfect performance, LeBron James physically dominated the opposition, and the Americans shot the 3-point ball as well as a team could.

But none of that mattered. A three-time All-NBA First Team selection and champion from just a month ago sat on the sidelines.

ESPN basketball analyst Kendrick Perkins had strong feelings about the situation.

"It's a position less sport, when you talk about the game of basketball," he said on Monday's episode of First Take.

"When you talk about a guy like Jayson Tatum, he's not nailed down to one position."

Perkins' comments came following Kerr's reasoning for sitting the former Blue Devil, which was wanting more guards on the floor to matchup with the Serbian backcourt.

Tatum was in the starting lineup for Team USA's exhibition matchup against Serbia and he averaged 17.8 minutes per contest during its five games prior to the Olympics.

"Jayson Tatum is a versatile player," Perkins continued. "You know what Jayson Tatum is going to bring to the table. You do not disrespect him and embarrass him the way that you did."

Tatum averaged 26.9 points per game for the Boston Celtics this season, shooting 47.1-percent from the floor and 37.6-percent from 3-point range. During the Celtics' championship run, he posted 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per contest.

Steve Kerr said the expectation is that Jayson Tatum will play in the team's next game, which iWednesday, July 31 (3:00 p.m. ET, USA Network) against South Sudan as Team USA looks to quickly secure a berth into the knockout round.