US men’s Olympic basketball team is stacked with LeBron James, Steph Curry
NBA star-studded U.S Olympic roster looks to capture their fifth-straight gold medal at the Paris Games.
LAS VEGAS — Team USA beat Team Canada, 86-72, in Wednesday’s exhibition at T-Mobile Arena. Here are three quick takeaways:
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In some ways, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will always be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
His braids are still neatly fastened. His rhythm is still lulling, the on-court feel of a jazz lounge. Not even the Olympics could keep his jersey tucked in.
And yet, with Team Canada, Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t completely Gilgeous-Alexander. Not who he is for the Thunder. He can’t be.
If Wednesday’s exhibition against the United States was any indication, the ball will be out of Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands more than ever. Not to some nonexistent degree. But relative to his role with the Thunder, burdened with lifting a franchise back to contention, Gilgeous-Alexander’s fingerprints aren’t so prominent on the nation’s operation.
“It’s something that I’ve worked on,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Something that I want to add to my game, just being a threat off the ball. It’s hard for teams to double team or scheme when you don’t have the ball. A lot of guys that have that as a weapon are really elite at it.”
With the Canadians, SGA shares a backcourt with Jamal Murray, fourth-quarter dynamo and NBA champion. On the wing is Dillon Brooks, who despite the gap in creation between him and his backcourt can always find a way to get his shots up.
Part of Gilgeous-Alexander deferring was Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday being in his grill. Poking at balls, blocking shots. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 10 points on 10 shots Wednesday, with many of the misses being a product of Holiday.
Then again, SGA is SGA. He’ll still dominate global defenses with his pace and shotmaking. He’ll still likely shoot more shots than anyone else on any given night. But he’s part of something bigger now. Something that he’s accepted and embraced long before any concern of what it would look like.
“I don’t see it as an ownership, I see it as a contribution,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, asked about his part in Canada basketball’s rise. “It’s always been a dream of mine to be able to contribute, to play with a bunch of guys I grew up with. Guys that I’ve seen their journey, seen their growth and vice versa.”
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A bench role won’t matter for Lu Dort this summer. Nor will any amount of touches.
Because on Wednesday, Dort did what he always does: Pester.
In 15 minutes, he took two shots, corralled three boards, dished out two assists, snagged two steals, a block, and hand checked Anthony Edwards more times than a box score could count.
Dort threw his weight around, he dug into star guards with a child’s level of freedom. Sound familiar?
Edwards, at the very least, is familiar with Dort’s harassment. Soon, the rest of the world will be too.
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Canada basketball has gathered, by many accounts, its best roster ever.
That still isn’t enough for the heat the USA has packed.
Tired of shortcomings from C-tier NBA groups, the States rostered the best of the best. Talent, fit, everything. And while Canada is encouraging with a skilled backcourt and some solid wings, there’s levels.
It’s evident in the lineups without Gilgeous-Alexander or Murray. Sequences where Nickeil Alexander-Walker is trying to gnaw at Bam Adebayo’s post positioning, with Kelly Olynyk waiting in the wings, praying Anthony Davis doesn’t soar behind him.
There’s just a star in every corner, lining Canada’s (and the world’s) peripheral view. It doesn’t exclude the USA from possible disappointment. But it makes it a lot more difficult to envision.
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