Team USA overcame a 16-point deficit to beat South Sudan, the youngest nation playing international basketball, 101-100, to remain unbeaten in exhibition play this summer.
While Team USA ultimately got the win behind a LeBron James game-winner, head coach Steve Kerr wasn't happy with how things went. He pointed the finger at himself, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“I did not do a great job preparing our team,” American coach Steve Kerr said. “I think we did not focus enough on what they’re capable of and that’s on me.”
Kerr also shared that the Americans didn’t use their one practice in London to prepare properly. He said part of the issue was the dominant victory Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, followed by a long flight Tuesday from the United Arab Emirates to the UK, which he said set the stage for a “letdown.”
Kerr's point guard on Team USA as well as in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors, weighted in, also per Vardon.
“We can be beat if we don’t play our brand of basketball, and our brand of basketball is playing defense,” said Curry, who shot 3 of 10. “But we also learned we have that gear if we can find it, no matter who’s out there on the court, we can overwhelm teams for 40 minutes and it’s a great reminder of both.”
Steve Kerr's LeBron and Steph reason for starting Joel Embiid in Olympics
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr has a stacked roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics in men's basketball. The 2024 squad is being coined as the Redeem Team 2.0, as Team USA is out for revenge after not medaling at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The United States has revamped the basketball roster and assembled a squad consisting of true megastar players in the quest to bring home Olympic gold for the 17th time.
But having such a talented roster can lead to challenges in terms of rotation. On Wednesday, Kerr explained what he likes about the trio of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid starting together.
Said Kerr, “Yeah, I like those three guys in the starting lineup. We've been looking at other guys around them, and we obviously do have a lot of great options, but I do like those three guys together.”
Embiid has been up and down so far in the team's warmup games.
Anthony Davis, meanwhile, has been Team USA's most impressive player in the two games with consecutive double-double performances. He and Bam Adebayo have been teaming up on the second unit for the Americans, and that group has looked very good to this point in the warmup contests.
The Olympic Games begin on Friday, July 26.
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