Since fielding the Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Games, the U.S. has dominated Olympic men’s basketball since it began using professional players. For the first time, that dominance feels under threat. After a humiliating fourth-place finish at last year’s FIBA World Cup, the U.S. team has called up its best and brightest stars for the 2024 Paris Olympics. While the rest of the world is catching up, USA Basketball is out to prove it still sets the standard.
LeBron James is back on the roster after missing the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Stephen Curry is playing in the Olympics for the first time in his career. Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday are back on the team, and Joel Embiid only joined the team after becoming a U.S. citizen two years ago. This team will be must-watch TV. They finally took the court together in Wednesday night’s opening exhibition against Canada.
The USA defeated Canada, 86-72, in their first warm-up game leading up to the Paris Games. Against a team loaded with NBA talent and likely to be the USA’s biggest gold medal contender, the USA showed what they can do at their best, but also hinted at areas they need to improve. Here are some takeaways from the USA 2024 men’s basketball team’s first exhibition game.
Joel Embiid needs to adapt to FIBA games
Embiid’s selection for the U.S. team was perhaps the biggest news in terms of the roster. The U.S. needed another big man who could withstand the physical intensity of FIBA games, and Embiid chose to represent the U.S. over his native Cameroon or France. Embiid’s inclusion made the U.S. the overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal, but it’s clear he still has some kinks to work out, both with FIBA rules and with his own role on the team.
Embiid fouled out midway through the third quarter, finishing with just five points and six rebounds. The 30-year-old center is used to being the focal point of a team, but that won’t be the case with this lineup. Instead, Team USA wants Embiid to protect the rim, get rebounds, set hard screens and finish on mismatches. The team doesn’t need Embiid going after fouls the same way he does in the NBA, because that won’t work in FIBA games. It will require adjustments.
Embiid struggled to score all night against Canadian center Dwight Powell and at one point appeared to hit Powell with his elbow in frustration.
Nobody in the NBA shoots free throws like Embiid, and he probably won’t get the same calls in the Olympics or as many touches as he’d like.
Luckily for Embiid, this was just his first exhibition game, so he has plenty of time to improve.
It’s great to see LeBron James and Stephen Curry thrive as teammates.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry are the two greatest NBA stars of their generation, but until now we’ve never seen them play as teammates on a competitive stage (except in the All-Star Game), and the results are already astounding.
Curry contributed 12 points to the win, while James added seven points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The relationship between these two all-time legends will be one of the most thrilling subplots of Team USA’s game in Paris.
A two-man lineup featuring Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo is appealing.
While two big men who don’t shoot well together are rarely seen in the NBA, it’s a more acceptable strategy in FIBA because of the smaller court and the more physical aspects. US coach Steve Kerr experimented with fielding Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo together in the first exhibition games, but the results were devastating for Canada’s offense.
Both Davis and Adebayo can provide extensive ground coverage on the perimeter, protect the rim and provide a physical barrier in the paint. The U.S. half-court attack could get awkward with both sharing the floor, but the opportunities for transition run-outs after defensive stops would be immense.
Talented big men have caused the US big problems in the past two FIBA World Cup tournaments, and this time the US finally has a solution. And it’s not just Embiid, Bam and AD will play big roles on this team.
The depth of Team USA is incredible.
Is this the strongest 12-man lineup USA Basketball has ever sent to an Olympic Games? Maybe. The U.S. team has a bona fide MVP candidate coming off the bench in Paris who should be able to overwhelm opponents with fresh legs in a smaller role.
Anthony Edwards was the USA’s leading scorer with 13 points off the bench in the win over Canada. He would be the best or second best player on any other team, but on the USA team he is just another weapon.
Jayson Tatum was the best player on an NBA championship team. CelticsIt looks like he’ll be coming off the bench at the Olympics, but that’s a nice luxury.
Team USA will open their 2024 Paris Olympics campaign on July 28 against Nikola Jokic’s Serbia. This team is going to be a lot of fun to watch.
