Beginning in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and continuing with the 1992 Dream Team and the 2008 Redeem Team, the USA Basketball Men’s National Team has a history of running the show in Olympic basketball.
Team USA has finished at the top in 16 out of 20 possible Olympic contests and is now set on winning a fifth straight gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This year’s roster features a star-studded lineup of NBA All-Stars and All-NBA players, and the team is widely regarded as the heavy favorite to once again win the gold medal.
Training camp for the team officially began on Saturday, with Team USA participating in its first exhibition match of the summer against Team Canada on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
International basketball rules are slightly different from those used by the NBA, as the Olympics utilize regulations of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
FIBA basketball features slightly shorter quarters, at just 10 minutes each, meaning that starting games out hot will be more important than ever for teams, as there is less time for a comeback later in the game.
Additionally, both the overall court and the three-point line are shorter in FIBA competitions.
Canada will enter Olympic play as the second favorite to win the gold medal after Team USA due to the plethora of NBA players on the roster.
The Canadian team features guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray, who play alongside forwards RJ Barrett, Lu Dort, and Dillon Brooks.
Team USA opened the game with a starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, Lebron James, and Joel Embiid, though this small ball approach yielded little results as Canada got out to an early 11-1 lead.
Canada’s lead did not last long as Team USA stormed back to take a 41-33 lead at halftime behind scoring from Curry and guard Anthony Edwards.
The scoring onslaught continued over the next 20 minutes as the Americans outscored Canada 45-39 in the second half, ending the game with an 86-72 victory. The Americans racked up nine blocks and forced a total of 13 turnovers by the Canadians.
Some of the best minutes from Team USA came when forward Anthony Davis and center Bam Adebayo took the floor together.
Both Davis and Adebayo have made their careers in the NBA on the defensive side of the ball, as both players have been named to the All-NBA Defensive Team five separate times in their careers.
Playing Davis and Adebayo together allowed Team USA to switch nearly every screen action run by Canada while also keeping at least one shot-blocking threat near the rim at all times.
Head Coach Steve Kerr praised the team’s defensive effort during the exhibition and said he was not surprised that the offense was slow to find a rhythm, noting that the offense will find its pace once the team has more chances to play together.
“Good first game for us, really just getting started after four days of practice,” he said, per Team USA. “You could see the rust from the offensive end, a lot of turnovers in that first half especially, but I love the defensive intensity and the work on the glass. So it was a good first effort.”
While Americans across the country should be excited about this team’s potential after dismantling a Canadian team expected to finish near the top of the rankings, Team USA is actually set to add even more talent to the roster.
All-NBA Second Team forward Kevin Durant, who is the all-time Team USA leading scorer, will be added to the lineup later in the summer after opting to sit out the first days of training and the exhibition match due to a minor calf strain, as reported by Shams Charania.
Similarly, Team USA will add guard Derrick White to the roster after forward Kawhi Leonard announced his departure from the team on Wednesday afternoon.
White is one of the best defensive guards in the NBA and has shown he can shoot from behind the three-point line incredibly efficiently, making over 38% of his attempts in each of his last two seasons with the Boston Celtics.
Team USA will play its next exhibition match on Monday in Abu Dhabi against an Australian team featuring Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, Josh Green, and Dante Exum, along with forward Joe Ingles.
The Olympics will officially kick off with the opening ceremony on July 26, with basketball beginning just two days later as teams begin the group phase of games.
Team USA was placed in Group C and will face reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia on July 28, South Sudan on July 31, and Puerto Rico on August 3.
