ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — More changes are in store for Team USA, beginning with the weather.
By the time the Americans’ chartered plane left the Abu Dhabi airport Thursday, the temperature was about 102 degrees with a heat index of 114 degrees — on the cooler side for the last week. During a recent morning round of golf, USA managing director Grant Hill was among those sweating so profusely in stifling humidity, he (and other brave golfers) needed new shirts before making the turn. The heat index for Tuesday was 128 degrees.
The predicted low temperature (and index) for Friday in London, USA’s next stop on this pre-Olympic tour, is 63 degrees. Hopefully LeBron brought a hoodie.
The Americans set up their schedule so they could go to Abu Dhabi, stay at a lavish vacation resort on the Persian Gulf, collect millions of dollars from the local government for the appearance, and continue to deepen ties between the NBA and the region. The London leg, USA’s last stop before the Olympic tournament starts July 28, is to get acclimated to the Paris time zone and play two final tune-up games — against South Sudan on Saturday and defending World Cup champion Germany on Monday.
Those are just the logistics. As far as the basketball business goes, USA coach Steve Kerr suggested after his team’s lopsided win over Serbia that he had settled on Steph Curry, LeBron James and Joel Embiid as starters. In the first three exhibition games, Kerr has used combinations of Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum; Holiday and Devin Booker; Tatum and Anthony Edwards as the other two starters.
Edwards or Holiday could be decided based on the matchup. For instance, if the Americans are playing Canada with a medal on the line, and locking down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is paramount, perhaps Holiday gets the nod. In the exhibition opener against Canada, Gilgeous-Alexander, an NBA MVP finalist, could not shake free of Holiday and shot 3 of 10.
Then again, Edwards is the team’s leading scorer through three games, averaging 14.3 points on 52 percent shooting overall and 50 percent shooting from 3-point range, 6-of-12).
“This is who he is — he is a big-time scorer,” Kerr said earlier this week. “He gets downhill, he gets to the rim, he plays through contact.”
Statistically, Booker has given the Americans more of a scoring threat (9.3 ppg on 56 percent shooting, including 16 points against Australia) than Tatum (6.3 ppg). But there could be a new factor introduced to the equation in the coming days if Kevin Durant finally plays after missing the entire exhibition season so far with a strained left calf. Hill had said the hope was Durant would practice in Abu Dhabi, and that didn’t happen, but he’s continued to complete individual work on the side and before games, with an eye toward appearing in London.
“He’s trending in the right direction,” Kerr said of Durant.
Cooler temps and Durant’s participation will be new; perhaps a cut down on turnovers, particularly with the starters, would be a welcome change.
Embiid is averaging a team-worst 3.0 turnovers per game. He’s also averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 boards on 37 percent shooting, but his turnovers are weighing down the starters’ production overall because of the effort put in over three games to feed Embiid in an effort to get him going offensively. James and Tatum are also averaging 2.3 turnovers a piece; tied for second on the team.
“I think some of the turnovers we have … most of them are miscommunication,” said Embiid, before he added: “I’m having the time of my life. I don’t have to do anything (because he is playing with stars), so I’m happy just chilling, just hanging out and doing the little things.”
Curry has enjoyed two strong games and one remarkably weak performance. He opened against Canada with 12 points on three 3s, and then against Serbia Wednesday erupted for 24 points and six 3s. In between, he contributed just 3 points on 1-of-6 shooting against Australia.
Whether it’s Curry or Edwards, or even Anthony Davis, who is averaging a double-double off the bench (11.3 points, 10.3 rebounds), any personal momentum they build within the flow of the game has been stunted (on purpose) by Kerr’s substitution pattern.
By and large, Kerr is rotating his first and second units as though he’s managing a hockey team — sending five new players over the boards at a time. Kerr said he intends to stick to that routine, mostly, opting for 12 of the best players in the world to overwhelm opponents by playing fresh for four or five minutes.
Stephen Curry scored 24 points Wednesday against Serbia, even as Team USA coach Steve Kerr continues to rotate players more like a hockey team. (Christopher Pike / Getty Images)
The question will be how closely Kerr sticks to that pattern when Curry gets red-hot, like he was against Serbia, scoring the Americans’ first nine points and pouring in 18 in 11 minutes of work in the first half.
“I don’t think it’d be as rigid as it is right now, just because we’re still ramping up,” Curry said. “Obviously our strength is depth and being able to throw different waves of guys at teams for 40 minutes. Pretty sure I get started like I did (Wednesday) and I think the second quarter, I probably wouldn’t come out at that point, but just the fact that we have options … and we’re starting to find rhythm, that’s what we want.”
As for James, the co-captain of this team of stars with Curry and Team USA’s all-time assists leader, he’s averaging 9.3 points and 2.6 assists (Holiday’s 3.3 assists lead the team). He’s sacrificed some scoring chances and also lost some potential assists trying to get Embiid going. James has also produced a few of his signature moves, either on bullish drives to the hoop where helpless defenders bounce off his broad shoulders, or pretty, stepback turnaround jumpers that splash through the net.
Davis (in addition to that double-double he’s averaging, he also leads the Americans with 4.0 blocks per game) and Bam Adebayo (17 points, eight boards against Serbia) are seemingly locked into a frontcourt pairing on Kerr’s second unit. Adebayo is used to being the defensive anchor on any team — be it the Miami Heat or Team USA — but with Davis, Adebayo is playing out of position at power forward. And enjoying it.
“It’s great,” Adebayo said. “If I do get beat, someone is back there (Davis) to clean up the shots. Sometimes it’s just being able to be that versatile, to switch one through five. You not only have AD, but you have Jrue, you have Book picking up full court, you got other guys who are contributing on that end.”
Tyrese Haliburton was strong off the bench against Canada with six assists, four rebounds, and four steals, but has been quiet in the Americans’ last two games. Some of the minutes that usually go to Haliburton went to Derrick White against Serbia, who logged nine minutes in his first Team USA game this summer.
If Durant is able to play, White almost surely falls out of the rotation and Haliburton’s playing time may suffer. It happens every summer the men’s national team is in action — a high-caliber NBA player (like White) or young star (Haliburton) is forced into a lesser role, because there are only so many minutes, so many roles, and a roster full of stars.
“We’re getting better and I think we are on a good path,” Kerr said.
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(Top photo of Anthony Edwards and LeBron James: Christopher Pike / Getty Images)
