It comes as no surprise that Team USA handled Serbia 105-79 in a pre-Olympics exhibition on Wednesday. What is surprising, though, is who LeBron James anointed as “the new Splash Brother” after the game.
“The King” bestowed the honor upon Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo.
James pointed at Adebayo in the tunnel and said “the new Splash Brother! That's Bam Bam Splash right there!”
Adebayo, of course, threw a nasty alley-oop to James, who caught the ball with one hand and slammed in the bucket, via USA Basketball's social media.
Adebayo finished with 17 points, eight boards, and three assists on 6-of-9 shooting, while James registered 11 points and two assists on a 5-of-7 clip.
The 2024 edition of Team USA is already flexing its muscles and showing why it's one of the Red, White, and Blue's most hyped squads in years. Will the team take home the gold in this year's Olympics?
No other nation comes close to Team USA's depth in the Olympics
Through the first three exhibition games, the Americans have outclassed Canada, Australia, and Serbia. Australia has been the only nation to keep it close so far, falling 98-92 in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
One of the USA's advantages in the Olympics is having the ability to use foreign-born players because of their American citizenships. Joel Embiid, who is neck-and-neck with Serbia's Nikola Jokic for the “best center in the world” title, made his debut for the squad this summer, which makes it even more dangerous than usual. The 2022-23 NBA MVP would be the unquestioned leader on most teams around the world.
However, on a squad with basketball icons like James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant, Embiid is simply one key ingredient, rather than the straw who stirs the drink.
Even with Embiid's credentials, though, he may not start when the games start to count. James' Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis has continued to stand out, scoring 7 points on 2-of-2 shooting, with six rebounds and a whopping six rejections.
Head coach Steve Kerr admitted that it won't be easy to settle on a permanent starting lineup.
“These next few games I'm going to continue to experiment with the lineups,” Kerr said. “Joel is getting better and better every day. It usually takes big guys a little bit longer to get rhythm and flow. I love Joel, he's a dominant player. I think it's going to be important for us to figure out the best combinations and putting the right people together. That's still a work in progress.”
Kerr has two more “showcase” games before USA's first Group Phase contest on July 28th, which is also against Serbia. The Americans will face South Sudan on the 20th and Germany on the 22nd.
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