Team USA Survived A Scare Against Australia While Mostly Still Playing Like Shit

Joe Murphy. Getty Images.

When Team USA blew the doors off of Canada in their first Olympic tune up while mostly playing like shit, you could understand why. They had barely been together as a team and only had a few practices, Steve Kerr was experimenting with lineups for the first time, and there's always going to be first game jitters.

Well after a full week of practice it was time for the second tune up game today against Australia and well....things still weren't all that great.

Let's run through what we learned while also remembering this is all happening without this guy named Kevin Durant in the mix, maybe you've heard of him

- One of the most glaring things we've seen through the first two games is how devastating Team USA's defense can be when they truly lock in. I think a lot will be made about their offensive firepower given the stars on this roster, but in my opinion, it's the defense that is truly going to make Team USA dominant. The work they did defensively in the first half of this game (37 points) is what gave Team USA their 20+ point cushion, and this all came without one of the best defenders on the planet Derrick White seeing the floor.

It almost feels like a cheat code being able to throw out perimeter defenders like Tatum/Holiday/Ant who were all solid on that end, and then from the looks of things it seems like we're getting Bubble Anthony Davis for this Olympics which is a pretty big deal. Of all the players who have made a statement in these tune up games, the leader might be AD. His activity has been great, and defensively he looks as good as ever. You add in the switchable Bam, and that's a devastating reality for the rest of the world.

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- While we don't know what the hell is going on with KD's calf, to me this makes the most sense as to what the starting 5 should look like in either case

These are very clearly your 5 best players through 2 games, and either lineup has virtually no holes. Steve Kerr got close to this today only he had Embiid instead of AD, and I can't imagine that's the plan moving forward. This grouping can play fast (which is key in FIBA/Olympics), it has shooting, it has size, it has defense etc. I know Steve Kerr is mostly blind when it comes to stuff like this, but through 2 games it's beyond obvious this has to be the starting 5 with or without KD.

- NBA Champion Jayson Tatum has fully embraced the fact that he's massive and can bully whoever the hell he wants. It was the key to the Celtics title, and it will be a key to Team USA winning Gold

I'd honestly like Tatum to be more selfish offensively, but I love how he was among the leaders in rebounds, led Team USA in assists today, and was 3-4 from the field. He's arguably the most complete player on this roster not named LeBron, and it's time to hand the keys over to both him and Ant. They are ready.

- Speaking of Ant, while it's fairly obvious that #1 scoring option thing wasn't just bullshit, there are times where it feels like he's too tunnel-visioned offensively. Ball movement is the key to winning international competitions, and after his hot start it didn't really feel like he was all that interested in creating for others. He's going to command so much attention, him having a playmaking leap isn't only important for the Olympics, it's crucial for the Wolves too once the season rolls around.

- Despite having Steve Kerr, Spo, and Ty Lue, Team USA's offense still looks gross. Where is the player movement? Where is the ball movement? All this iso bullshit where one guy holds the ball for 10 seconds is most certainly not it. The more we see from Team USA recently the more you get the feeling that Steve Kerr might actually be cooked to the point where I kind of feel bad for Steph? 

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- Way too much CTE basketball for my liking. Just like against Canada, Team USA could not stop turning the ball over today. They finished with 15 in Game 1 and then had another brutal 18 in Game 2 today. Passes that defy logic, bigs turning it over left and right, the only reason this became a game was the fact that Team USA couldn't stop turning it over on one end and then couldn't get a stop on the other.

It's the classic sign of guys not really knowing how to play with one another and then as a team not really running offense, and make no mistake if this is what they do in the Olympics, someone will pull off the upset.

- I'm not sure what to think about Embiid through 2 games. It's obvious his conditioning isn't anywhere close, which is concerning. But also I'm not sure this is the right fit for him outside of a few matchups against teams with size like France or Serbia. His speed is an issue against faster teams, and his playstyle still feels out of place on this roster, especially with the starters.

Maybe the solution is to have him with the second unit and let him generate offense through the post with shooters like Booker and Ant surrounding him, because his run with the starting group through 2 games has been pretty gross.

- If we're being honest in terms of the best lineups maybe it also makes sense to have LeBron off the bench as a connector, but that'll never happen.

- Much like we saw with the Celtics this season, if you are an opponent playing Team USA and you can't keep up with their 3pt volume and production, you stand no chance. Team USA finished 12-29 compared to Australia's 4-18, and in 2024 that type of difference is never going to work out for you. As long as Team USA takes care of the basketball and doesn't give away possessions, their shooting power compared to the rest of the world is going to cause a world of issues.

- I can't lie, it's pretty embarrassing to have a 20+ point lead and then find yourself in a 2 possession game late in the 4th quarter. Sure it's a relief Team USA avoided disaster today, but that didn't exactly feel like the type of dominant performance I think we're all expecting from this team. In fact, I'd say we haven't even come close to seeing their ceiling at any point of these tune up games, which is both bad and good.

It's good they can win while playing like shit, but it's not so great that they are still playing like shit, even after a week of practice together.

But hey, that's what these tune up games are for right? Things don't get much easier with Nikola Jokic (who looks to be in great shape) and Serbia coming up next on Wednesday, so Team USA better be ready. Another performance like we saw today isn't going to cut it.