Steve Kerr benched Joel Embiid for Team USA’s 103-86 victory over South Sudan on Wednesday, leaving Stephen Curry and LeBron James as the only players to start every game on the Americans’ path for Olympic gold.
It’s hardly shocking that Curry and James’ place on the floor for tipoff is ironclad. They’re living legends, still near the top of the NBA’s individual hierarchy despite being Team USA’s elder statesmen. Kevin Durant surely would’ve joined his longtime foes turned teammates as a full-time starter for the Americans if he was fully healthy leading up to Paris.
James and Durant have lived up to expectations at the Olympics, leaving their singular stamps on a pair of convincing wins to begin Group C action. Curry, on the other hand, has been largely invisible for the Americans so far, a continuation of struggles he experienced throughout their five-game lead-up to France.
After laboring once again vs. South Sudan, though, the Golden State Warriors superstar expressed optimism he'd soon break out his mini slump.
“The way we play, making good cuts, setting good screens, moving the ball, shots come your way — the floodgates could open at any time,” Curry said, per Lindsey Schnell of USA TODAY. “You don’t ever want to get down on yourself. You just want to shoot shots you think you can make.”
Why is Stephen Curry struggling with Team USA?
Curry misfired on eight of his nine shots on Wednesday, finishing with three points, four assists and four personal fouls in 21 minutes. He was much better against Serbia three days earlier, scoring 11 points, grabbing three boards and handing out three dimes while shooting 4-of-8 overall, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
The basic cause of those disparate performances come down to the whims of jump-shooting. Curry doesn't have the ball with Team USA nearly as much as he does with Golden State, often relegated to spotting up around the arc or setting and using screens off-ball to free himself and his teammates for open looks. No one knows better than Kerr why that's the best use of Curry's unique skills on the Olympic stage at this stage of his career.
Not only is the international court two feet smaller than the NBA's 94 feet, but three-point line is shorter, too, cramping the floor when games slow to a crawl in the halfcourt. Curry, now 36, doesn't quite possess the quick-twitch wiggle and explosiveness off the bounce he did two years ago while leading the Warriors past the Boston Celtics with the Larry O'Brien Trophy on the line. That reality was laid bare last season in Golden State, and Kerr has reacted accordingly while leading one of the most star-studded American teams ever.
Curry can still be the fulcrum of an offense against most opponents, routinely bringing two to the ball in pick-and-roll when facing foes that can't switch across multiple positions defensively. Nikola Jokic and Serbia fit that bill, but the same certainly can't be said for South Sudan. Royal Ivey's team often switched one-through-five against Team USA, confident its length, athleticism and activity at the point of attack would keep the ball in front and limit defensive rotations.
Does that sound like the type of environment in which this version of Curry would thrive, especially while playing on a FIBA court—with rules that permit more physicality from the interior to the perimeter?
Relying even more on jumpers for success might be forced on Curry going forward. Father Time waits for no one, even James, and Curry doesn't boast anywhere near the all-time physical traits that's allowed the former to remain an athletic force well into his 30s. Curry just isn't the same player he was in the 2022 NBA Finals, a depressing yet expected development accentuated by his role with the United States and differences of the international game.
The good news for Golden State? The NBA isn't the Olympics. No matter how he plays from here on out in Paris, it won't necessarily be any indication of what's to come for Curry in 2024-25. Either way, keep your fingers crossed those “floodgates” open soon as he and the Americans vie for gold.
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