Second Impressions: Team USA vs. Australia
The United States men’s national team continued to find its footing in international exhibition play with a 98-92 victory over the Australian men’s national team in Abu Dhabi on July 15.
The Americans started off strong from the field, which was different from how they began gameplay in their first exhibition game against the Canadian national team on July 10. In the early going, it was LeBron James and Anthony Edwards who got the Americans rolling offensively.
In the fourth quarter, Team USA let things slip away, as Australia was able to cut what was a 15-point deficit heading into the final 10 minutes of play to just six points. Luckily for the Americans, though, Tyrese Haliburton found his stroke from 3-point range, hitting two jumpers from the arc to bring USA’s lead back to double-digits.
Australia continued to keep things tight, but however close for comfort it got, Team USA ultimately emerged on top to remain undefeated in pre-Olympic play.
With three exhibition games in Team USA’s schedule remaining against Serbia, South Sudan and Germany, here are some second impressions of the Paris-bound American basketball squad:
3-Point Shooting Key For Team USA
When the Americans can get it going from deep, it separates them from any opponent on the scoreboard, and against Canada, that’s exactly what happened.
After a miss from Stephen Curry to open things up, Team USA then went 4-for-4 from 3-point range to establish themselves against Australia. 3-point shooting then continued to be a positive for the Americans throughout their second exhibition game.
Team USA went 12-for-29 on 41.38% shooting from 3-point range in the contest while Australia went just 4-for-18 on 22.22% shooting.
Stephen Curry, who is the United States’ best shooter, only added one 3-pointer to the Americans’ totals. Once he gets more familiar with the FIBA 3-point line and is able to get it going from distance, that in itself will unlock a lot more offense for Team USA.
Anthony Edwards’ Play Proving Invaluable
Once again, Edwards showed out for Team USA, providing an offensive spark for a group still working to fit all the pieces of the puzzle that is their roster together.
Edwards, alongside Jayson Tatum, got the start for Team USA this time around over Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker, who started against Canada. That gave Edwards the green light to get the United States going early on the offensive end.
Through the first five minutes, Edwards was already in double figures scoring-wise. He ultimately finished as Team USA’s second-highest scorer with 14 points and three 3-pointers.
If Edwards can continue on this pace for the Americans, he will end up being a huge difference-maker come Olympic competition. His ability to keep the offense from falling stagnant has already proven invaluable for the team and it will be important in their remaining exhibition games.
Impressive Outing For USA’s Bigs
While Edwards, James and Devin Booker did their part to light up the box score, as they all finished in double figures, it was the United States’ big men that carried the load on both ends of the floor for Team USA.
Embiid got the start again, and while he did end up only playing 16 minutes in the contest, his play was important for the United States. In fact, when Embiid is not in foul trouble, like he wasn’t in this game against Australia, he can be a key contributor for Team USA. He finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
Team USA’s other bigs, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis also came up big in this outing for the United States.
Adebayo shot 4-for-5 from the field and finished with 10 points, two rebounds and a steal. Davis picked up right where he left off from Team USA's game against Canada and impacted the floor on seemingly every possession he played.
Davis was Team USA’s leading scorer when all was said and done, tallying 17 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks off the bench. He proved when Embiid is not on the floor that he can be a pivotal backup big man, adding production on both the scoreboard and glass.
Where Will Kevin Durant and Derrick White Fit In?
With two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant still out of the lineup with a calf injury, it’s hard to say how Team USA’s rotation will look once he’s back on the floor.
Durant is undoubtedly one of the best shot creators on the United States’ roster, so when he comes back, who will take the brunt of Durant’s new minutes? Will Edwards get the start alongside James, Curry, Embiid and Durant, with Tatum coming off the bench?
Only time will tell how Team USA will go about Durant’s role on this team.
“This is always a fun format when you get this collection of guys together, and it’s a test and it’s a challenge to try to figure out, like [Steve Kerr] said, there’s the chemistry, there’s the flow and the rhythm, especially on offense," Stephen Curry said on July 10 in a press conference following Team USA’s win over Canada. "‘Cause there’s a temptation to defer, there’s a temptation to overthink every possession ‘cause everybody can make a play.”
Given that he sits first all-time on the United States’ Olympics men’s basketball scoring list, though, it would make sense that Durant would start once he’s back from injury.
As for Derrick White, he was a late addition to Team USA, as Kawhi Leonard ultimately stepped aside from the team before their first exhibition game to err on the side of caution regarding injury.
In this exhibition game against Australia, White rode the pine, not getting any playing time in the United States’ eventual win, which, in some ways, makes sense. White did just join the team, and with a talented roster like this, someone will have to sacrifice minutes.
In any case, White will surely get some playing time against one of Team USA’s remaining three opponents before the Olympics begin. This will give him a chance to showcase what he can add to this roster.
The United States’ next exhibition game is against Serbia at noon EST on July 17 on FS1.
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