Team USA’s Fierce ‘Bench Mob’ Is Its Biggest Advantage at the Olympics originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Steve Kerr isn’t worried about the Stephen Curry shooting, and neither is Stephen Curry.
Furthermore, there is no need. Both realize that while Curry’s unusually low rating could hurt his NBA team, the Warriors, it has little relevance to Team USA.
That’s why even after committing four fouls in 21 minutes and missing eight of nine shots, including a blown layup and all six of his 3-point attempts, Curry on Wednesday could embrace Team USA rout 103-86 of South Sudan at the Olympics.
The same could happen with Kerr, who finds himself in uncharted territory – and we don’t mean France. For the first time, he doesn’t worry about the minutes without Steph on his team.
An annual concern for the Warriors, these minutes are sufficiently covered by other members of the Team USA roster. When Curry is on the bench – or out of the game – they can produce enough goals, plays, rebounds and defense to shut down any opponent.
Team USA not only has the most talented roster in Paris, but also the deepest. By far. This allows Kerr enormous flexibility with lineups and rotations. The “second unit” – regardless of its participation in each game – is built to destroy.
“We have an embarrassment of riches in this squad,” Kerr told reporters in Lille, France. “That’s the best way to put it. These guys are all champions, All-Stars, Hall of Famers, however you want to put it.
“So the whole question is are we committed to the goal? And that. And that.”
Let’s consider the second unit against South Sudan: Bam Adebayo, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. They combined to score 60 points on 59.4 percent shooting from the field, including 66.7 percent from distance. Add 11th man Tyrese Haliburton’s six points on 2-of-3 from deep, and the bench total rises to 66 points with obscene accuracy.
“That’s a pretty potent group when you come off the bench with Bam, Kevin and Derrick White,” Kerr said.
“I think Steve trusts us,” Adebayo said. “He sees the bench as a spark, a boost, and we did that tonight.”
The bench does not become less powerful if adjusted. In Team USA’s 110-84 romp over Serbia in the opening game on Sunday, the second unit — with Anthony Davis coming off the bench instead of Holiday — scored 44 points on 62 percent shooting from the field, including 63.6 percent from beyond the arc.
They refer to themselves as the “bench crowd” and participation is fluid, as is the overall rotation. Jayson Tatum did not play against Serbia but he started against South Sudan. Joel Embiid started against Serbia, but he never took off his sweatshirt against South Sudan.
Regardless of who took the court in the first two games, engagement was evident on both ends. Compared to the five exhibition games designed to prepare for the Olympics, Team USA’s ball movement and spirited defense have increased, while turnovers and missed assignments have decreased.
“With the amount of talent, IQ and skill in the United States, we can mix and match like that,” Durant said. “In the last game, we had a champion and a totally NBA guy [Tatum] I didn’t play a single minute, and tonight we had an MVP [Embiid] don’t play a single minute. They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly.
“Defensively, our intensity was there. The coach confused everything with the match [Davis]that can change many things because [South Sudan] It’s a smaller team. It’s good to have a versatile team.”
Opponents are throwing their best players into Team USA’s starters, only to see the back end of their roster devastated when Kerr sends his reserves to the floor to bolster the defense and light up the scoreboard.
Of Team USA’s 213 points in its first two games, 112 were scored by those coming off the bench, with 101 scored by the starters. It’s early days, but the formula worked.
And yet, there has been debate over whether Tatum should have played against Serbia and Embiid against South Sudan. That debate seems to arise only outside of Team USA circles.
“For us, man, it’s just going out there and playing to the best of our abilities,” Adebayo said in an interview with NBC. “We have some of the greatest talent in the world. So just for us to go out there and compete and execute.”
Team USA never felt threatened as they beat Serbia by 26 and South Sudan by 17. Puerto Rico is next on Saturday, with Embiid expected to return to the starting lineup.
Curry should also be among the starting five. Maybe it will warm up. Maybe not. Either way, he and Kerr shouldn’t worry.
