When Team USA went into their rematch against South Sudan with a reworked starting lineup, the comments came rolling in.
After not playing at all against Serbia in the opening game of the Paris Olympics, Jayson Tatum was starting. Team USA head coach Steve Kerr clearly felt the pressure from media who questioned the five-time All-Star’s underutilization. After a few uneven performances, Joel Embiid was replaced by Anthony Davis in the starting lineup. Not only is Davis a more mobile defender than Embiid, he has better chemistry with point-forward LeBron James.
Team USA Head Coach Steve Kerr Changes Starting Lineup
After Team USA defeated South Sudan, 103-86, Kerr spoke about his decision to change the starting lineup.
“Last game, we had a champion and an All-NBA guy not play any minutes,” Kerr reflects (h/t The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver). “…Tonight we had an MVP not play any minutes. They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly.”
Steve Kerr on stars getting DNP-CDs: “They’re pros & committed to each other. … I don’t read social media. I would hope our guys aren’t paying too much attention to that. That’s a regular season thing where the soap opera can carry the ratings. Here, it’s just win a damn gold.”
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 31, 2024
The former NBA guard and current Golden State Warriors head coach then revealed that he changed the lineup to match up better against South Sudan. This was presumed to be the case. However, many also felt that Embiid was demoted after recording four points and two rebounds in 11 minutes against Serbia.
“This is the fastest team in the tournament we’re going to play,” Kerr says of South Sudan. “We wanted to match up. They made 14 threes against us in London. The whole game today was going to be about switching and staying in front of people.”
The Game Was Closer Than The Score
The results weren’t quite what people expected though.
Tatum and Davis tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds combined, playing 17 and 19 minutes respectively. Their length and athleticism helped them make a defensive impact but South Sudan was often able to shake loose and score inside and out. As a result, they both recorded negative plus-minuses in a 17-point win.
South Sudan also had the advantage in rebounds (41-36) and second chance points (14-9) over the taller Team USA. They also hit 11 3-pointers, shooting 37.9 percent from distance. For comparison, Team USA went 13-39 from 3-point range.
Frankly, if Kerr didn’t feel beholden to start Stephen Curry, the results may have been a bit different. Once again, Curry was invisible defensively. Furthermore, if the goal was to improve their switching, Holiday should’ve started instead.
Going Back To Square One
Embiid and Holiday will return to the starting lineup on Friday against Puerto Rico.
Steve Kerr said he Joel Embiid received DNP-CD against South Sudan because USA wanted to better match up with their team speed.
– Kerr will start LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Embiid versus Puerto Rico on Friday.— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 31, 2024
Puerto Rico plays at a quickened pace as well, though they’re not as explosive as South Sudan. They also take a heavy diet of 3s. As a result, Team USA’s gameplan shouldn’t be much different than it was on Wednesday.
With that being said, considering the amount of talent on their loaded roster, one has to wonder why Team USA isn’t dictating the terms.
