Commentary
The U.S. men’s basketball team is kicking up drama at the Paris Olympics.
It’s almost as if Coach Steve Kerr and his squad were jealous about the women’s team being able to drum up so much free attention from leaving Caitlin Clark off its squad that the men’s side was compelled to insert itself into the daily sports talk sphere.
Poor play in a July Olympic warmup against South Sudan—certainly no threat on the international level, but a team with some athletes—caused concern. The United States escaped that matchup with a 101-100 win on the scoreboard, but it was essentially a loss in the eyes of many observers.
Next, it was the conceived “benching” of Jayson Tatum in the July 29 Group C opening victory over Serbia, a strong medal contender and a team some expect to perhaps challenge the Americans.
Kerr is still taking heat for the well-publicized decision to leave the Celtics superstar glued to the pine in the Olympic opener, especially because the 26-year-old was a key player in Boston’s run to the championship this past season in the National Basketball Association.
Postgame, it was as if Kerr had spent part of his time in the Seine River as he tried to cleanse himself with self-deprecation. The coach said his decision not to play the All-Star was idiotic but, in the same breath, assured us all he had warned Tatum ahead of time that no time on the court was a possibility. Tyrese Haliburton also saw zero minutes in that game.
Kerr followed up that move by sitting oft-injured big man Joel Embiid the entire Game 2, a 103-86 blowout of South Sudan on Aug. 1. Embiid has been sluggish, to say the least, and a punching bag for the online critics because of his lack of production. The center seems a bit slow, but he limped his way through the NBA playoffs with various ailments and doesn’t appear to be at full strength.
There was no real drama on Saturday in the United State’s 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico, which clinched the top seed in Group C, but all the wild lineup shifting has left many wondering what comes next.
Kerr said the focus now is strictly on improved play and reaching the golden goal.
“I think we have done what we wanted to accomplish, winning all three games and securing the top seed. We know we have to play better,” Kerr told reporters after the victory over Puerto Rico.
“It’s part of this tournament. It gets harder as you go. And our goal is just to try to get better each game. And we’ll have Sunday off, and then a one-week sprint, three games. So, we’ll see how we do.”
James, the flag bearer for Team USA during the opening ceremony at the Games, was the team’s strongest performer. The 39-year-old has also been the steadiest, and Kerr is not incurring criticism for making his oldest player the focal point of the team.
Even Kerr, who won NBA titles while playing alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan, is wowed when he sees the dedication James puts into the game.
“It’s crazy. One of the best things about this trip for me has been to see LeBron behind the scenes, see the preparation, see the focus, getting a picture of why he is who he is,” Kerr said after the Aug. 3 game.
“It’s just amazing to watch him. He loves the game so much. He loves the work. He loves his teammates. There’s an energy and a joy to LeBron that just sort of spreads through the locker room, and so he’s obviously one of the very best all-time players but it goes so far beyond one thing. It’s just everything, the whole package. He’s just brilliant.”
The journey to this point has been bumpy, but to a certain extent, that’s to be expected. The amount of talent on the team guarantees tough decisions. Squads with lesser talent have fewer options to contemplate—they simply put their top players on the floor and hope for the best.
Team USA has an embarrassment of riches, and the goal is simple—make drama by bringing home the gold with no excuses and no mistakes.
