Lebron James’ late-game heroics helped Team USA save face against South Sudan. They were favored to win by 43 points in the pre-Olympic exhibition, but the 33rd-placed team in the FIBA rankings lost by just one point against the mighty USA. These are alarming signs, considering the Paris Olympics are just a few days away. On that note, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith blasted the superstar-laden squad for their lackadaisical performance.
On First Take, the veteran reporter called out the USA Men’s Basketball Team for almost losing to a squad that hails from a country that attained independence just 13 years ago.
He pointed out that South Sudan doesn’t even have indoor basketball courts, forcing the athletes to practice in the scorching summer heat on outdoor courts. Smith believes that it is inexcusable for Team USA, who have the best basketball resources in the world, to barely get past a team so behind in infrastructure.
The 56-year-old acknowledged that the international competition has grown over the years. But at the same time, he expects better from the most stacked squad in the world.
“If you [South Sudan] just gained independence a decade ago, if you don’t have indoor basketball courts, the resources are significantly less, you ain’t supposed to be and by the way, you [USA] are a 43-point favorite, you ain’t supposed to be winning by one point.”
Moreover, Smith showed concern about USA’s long-range shooting. In the 1-point loss, they connected on just 7 out of 28 long-range shots while South Sudan made 14 out of 33. If such trends continue, it will not bode well for the Gold-medal favorites.
Therefore, SAS urged Team USA to do a much better job at converting their triples.
The 56-year-old is on-point about Team USA’s lack of focus in the game against South Sudan. Like Stephen A. Smith, his former colleague also highlighted this major aspect.
Should Team USA be concerned about their long-distance shooting?
Skip Bayless recently highlighted that the Olympic games are going to be mostly three-point contests. So Team USA should sort out their woes in that area because the three-point differential can be decisive. He warned Team USA about Australia, who have an elite three-point shooting squad spearheaded by Patty Mills.
Then Bayless pointed out that Stephen Curry didn’t have one of his signature shooting nights. He made 3 out of 9 from the three-point line. Bayless argued that since Curry is the tone-setter, his rhythm determines how the rest of the squad will shoot. On UNDISPUTED, pointing the 21-point differential from deep between South Sudan and USA, Bayless expressed,
“They [South Sudan] were hot and Steph was not hot, he was three of nine and it started to feel like we kinda go as Steph sets the tone. If he can get hot like he did against Serbia, then you are gold, you are gold-in because he sets a tone that everybody can feed off.”
These concerns are valid but Head Coach Steve Kerr is still figuring out the rotations. Often, when one has too much talent, it is difficult to identify the roles. But once Kerr figures out the right combinations, Team USA won’t face similar difficulties. With Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Devin Booker as their three major long-range shooters, they are bound to figure out their rhythm.