LILLE, France — Team USA advanced to the Olympic basketball quarterfinals on Tuesday after a 103-86 victory over South Sudan that secured its spot on Wednesday.
The game was a far cry from the first meeting against South Sudan in a pre-Olympic exhibition earlier this month, when LeBron James needed a last-second layup to secure a 101-100 victory.
Technically, the Bright Stars are the lowest-ranked team at the Olympics, at 33rd in the FIBA world rankings, but that's misleading and they'll have a reasonable chance of advancing to the quarterfinals, too, depending on the outcome of their meeting with Serbia on Saturday.
After playing zero minutes in Team USA's opening game, Jayson Tatum returned to the starting lineup, replacing Jrue Holiday, and scored four points in 17 minutes. While Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Derrick White did not play in the Olympic opener, Joel Embiid was the only player to sit out Game 2 after scoring four points in 11 minutes on Sunday.
The bench put up 63 points, led by Bam Adebayo's 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds and Kevin Durant's 14 points.
The United States will finish the group stage on Saturday against Puerto Rico.
These are the key takeaways from Team USA's second Olympic game.
Kerr gives a sermon
There may come a time when it is fair to criticize coach Steve Kerr for his performance during these Games; that is the fragile nature of the event. But now is not the time. What he is doing, whether it is unorthodox, contrary to tradition or perceived as disrespectful, is working.
Their game plan against the fast, three-point-shooting South Sudanese team was to use a power-heavy starting lineup with Tatum at power forward and James at point guard. Outside of that lineup were Embiid and Holiday, two players who were a big part of the game plan against Serbia.
Kerr deployed a second unit of defensive stalwarts alongside the offensive firepower of Durant and Anthony Edwards. The “subs” destroyed South Sudan and the Americans gave up 14 fewer points than in the exhibition game they nearly lost two weeks ago in London.
Kerr, unemotional but well aware that his decisions to bench Tatum and then Embiid are up for debate, explained his options.
“The NBA is so popular around the world and the regular season is like a soap opera. And we understand that, and social media takes over and everything becomes very dramatic,” Kerr said. “And I think we need to give these guys more credit. They're here to win a gold medal.
“The beauty of the Olympics is that none of that matters. I know everyone is going to write about it, but none of that matters. We're just trying to win every game and win a gold medal, and it's an incredibly pure feeling, and the guys are committed to each other and they're not going to worry about any of that.”
The coach said Embiid and Holiday will start Saturday against Puerto Rico.
Tatum responds to suspension
Tatum scored four points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists in 17 minutes on Wednesday after sitting out the game against Serbia. He spoke to the media for the first time since being on the bench.
It was a new experience for him, he explained, and although he did not complain or criticise the decision, he made it clear that it was difficult for him and left an impact on him.
“It's certainly a humbling experience, isn't it? You win a championship, a new… [$314 million] contract, [get on the] “You can be frustrated because you want to play like a competitor, but maybe you have some empathy for some of the guys on my team that don't always play or play spot minutes. So it's a learning experience, looking at it from that standpoint and just moving forward.”
Embiid vs the French
Embiid may not be having the best time of his life right now. He has struggled at times while recovering from a knee injury and a recent illness. He was declared a non-player on Wednesday and has been booed relentlessly by the huge crowds in Lille this week after his decision not to join the French team.
He leaned toward her, prompting the crowd to boo him louder as he walked out onto the court before the game. His teammates did so as well, in their own way of offering support.
“We understand what the crowd wants, we understand why they boo, but he's one of us,” Adebayo said. “When you're one of us, we'll stick together through thick and thin.”
Some of Embiid's teammates can understand the frustration of French fans.
“I don't know why they boo him all the time. I still don't understand it,” Edwards said. “You guys have [Victor Wembanyama] and Rudy [Gobert]”Why would I play with you? I mean, do you want three 7-foot-1 players? No. But it would have been hard to beat him, for sure.”
White's claim
The focus on roster changes has muted the criticism USA Basketball received for choosing White over Jaylen Brown, among other options, to replace the injured Kawhi Leonard three weeks ago. Or maybe that's because White himself has muted it.
He's had two excellent games in France. On Wednesday, he recorded 10 points, three steals and a block. In both games, he's had five steals and two blocks, and the Americans are plus-33 when he's on the court. Those stats don't even begin to illustrate the force he's been on the defensive end.
“Derrick White is a phenomenal basketball player,” Kerr said. “He's a winner. He's a FIBA player. FIBA is different for every player. There are different rules, a different flow. Derrick is a champion. He's a phenomenal basketball player and he's going to continue to have a huge impact for us.”
