Most of us have heard about the Team USA basketball team in the past few weeks. They’ve been gearing up for the Olympics and just finished their five exhibition games. During those games, they went a clean 5-0.
For those that aren’t aware of who’s on this roster, Team USA currently fields Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White. Just looking at this roster shows that they’re one of the most talented Olympic rosters ever created. And Kawhi Leonard was on the team as well before dropping out not long ago. Taking this into consideration, the team struggled during a couple of the exhibition games. They wound up being locked in tight battles against Australia, South Sudan, and Germany and cruised to victory against Canada and Serbia. Despite how close some of the games were, they never lost, mostly due to LeBron James.
LeBron took over late in multiple close games and without him, we’d be looking at this team having an entirely different exhibition record. Head coach Steve Kerr said, “It’s pretty amazing. I’m just blown away by his effort, and concentration on every single drill. He talks, even at a walk-through his voice, yelling out a play, the scheme, his leadership by example. It’s incredible. I’ve known that, but to see it up close is pretty special.” And then Jrue Holiday said, “When we had struggles, LeBron took the lead.” This probably isn’t very surprising given that he’s the biggest face on this team and arguably the greatest player of all time. However, the level that he’s been playing at late in games is unbelievably impressive. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter of a close game against Germany, a game that Team USA was losing before he began to flip the script on them.
Another thing worth noting is that Kevin Durant has only practiced twice. His absence has certainly been felt, and everybody on the team knows that until he gets out there healthy and ready to play, they will always feel like they’re missing something. The hope is that Durant will get out there soon, at least, that’s what we’ve heard from everyone else. LeBron said, “He’ll give us more firepower, more leadership. We’re looking forward to his return. We’re strong already, he’ll make us stronger.” It’s also been talked about how Durant is the x-factor in the roster overall. Think about it, he’s a near seven-foot forward who can create his shot whenever he wants while simultaneously being an incredible shot-maker. He’s solid defensively and has tremendous chemistry already with Steph Curry, with more chemistry with Devin Booker. It’s not like Durant wouldn’t be getting big minutes, he’s going to likely be a starter when he’s ready to go.
We also can’t forget about a dynamic defensive duo that’s taken shape over the first five exhibition games. That duo is Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis. The two big men have completely stepped up in each of their games. The chemistry is clear immediately when they step on the court together thanks to their perimeter defense capabilities and their ability to stretch the floor offensively. For a team like Team USA that has some vulnerability down low in the paint defensively, these two have picked up the slack and kept them respectable. They’re going to need both of them if they want to win a gold medal due to some of the other bigs that they could compete against like Nikola Jokic.
For anybody looking at betting on Team USA, there are a few things that need to be talked about here overall. While Durant’s health is a massive factor, the team overall just needs more chemistry. Many of the players and coaches have openly spoken up about how they just need more practice together. Remember, almost all of the players on these teams are used to controlling the ball for most of the game and leading their respective teams offensively. Now, they’re all playing alongside one another and have just five games to practice. For anybody, that’s going to be a dramatic change in gameplay and style. It is why Team USA has been playing some teams like South Sudan incredibly closely. South Sudan has unbelievable chemistry, and it shows on the court, as they gave Team USA such a big run for their money.
If Team USA can gain even more chemistry while getting Kevin Durant back into the lineup, it’s hard to bet against this squad. That seems to be the only thing currently standing in their way. Some might see how close their games have been and wonder what’s going on, but the bottom line is that they have just been getting used to being on the court together. I am under the assumption that this group is going to start clicking soon because there’s just too much talent on this roster to feel otherwise. Especially when thinking about how this is LeBron’s final Olympic run. He’s already said that he won’t be coming back in 2028 and might not even be playing in the NBA by that time. LeBron in particular wants to win a gold medal in what could be his final Olympic run, and that energy will feed off to the rest of the roster.
Plus, as a little side mention, the physicality and the whistles are much different at an international level compared to the NBA. These superstars on Team USA are still likely learning what they can and can’t get away with. That’s something that might take a little bit of time to get used to. Combining that and their improving chemistry, it’s no wonder why they’ve been in some tight contests during the exhibition games. Their official Olympic games will be starting very soon, and now is the time for them to prove that they are as good as we’re all expecting them to be. Anything less than a gold medal will be a disappointment.
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