The iconic image of LeBron James carrying the American flag at the front of team USA’s boat down the river Seine as part of the opening day ceremony has been redistributed around social media constantly. It is impossible to not be aware of the on-going Avengers Assembly that The King himself organised to redeem the reputation of USA basketball.
Team USA have potentially the most stacked team ever, the starting five for team USA have always been incredible, but what separates this years team is the sheer depth of the roster. Neither Jayson Tatum nor Tyrese Haliburton made the cut for Serbia, with both remaining on the bench for the entire 40 minutes.
Team USA highlighted the difference between American basketball and European basketball in their match-up against Serbia. Despite being the Americans’ best victory since teaming up, Serbia caused problems for team USA.
Nicola Jokic side’s ball movement was noticeably better than the USA’s, this the Eastern European side sharing the ball efficiently and actively looking for better looks. The highlight of this was Jokic giving up an uncontested 3-point shot at the top to a teammate for an open 3 in the corner.
Offensively, Serbia had significantly more cohesion, despite their main man Jokic having not featured in the previous World Cup and a poor recent showing at the Euros. Jokic was able to slip back into the rotation without too much disruption to the flow.
This contrasts team USA, who seem intent on isolation basketball and very rarely look to run a play - and when they do, almost exclusively running a pick-and-roll. LeBron and Curry have combined for an extremely deadly pick-and-roll play, with Steph operating as the picker.
This forces the defence into an impossible decision, either pack the lane and prevent James from reaching the bucket or kick out to Curry to stop the three. Either choice, team USA has an incredibly high chance at scoring. The same is true when the picker is reversed.
LeBron rolling to the bucket is a terrifying sight even as the man is pushing 40. The alternative is to leave the greatest shooter of all time with space on the perimeter. Neither option is good for the defence.
Kevin Durant shot eight for nine in the opening game their Olympic campaign, only missing on his last shot of the game, whilst Curry shot 3 for 4 from beyond the arc on his Olympic debut.
Despite the immense talent on team USA, their pre-season warmup games have required hero-ball from LeBron to see them over the finish line and come away victorious. European teams have significantly better ball movement and have played as a unit for the majority of their careers.
This could cause problems for the American’s, as even teams such as Spain with no out and out superstar on their roster can cause them issues. The change in rules from NBA to FIBA also disadvantages many NBA stars and benefits European talent.
Dennis Schroder famously performs better for his nation, Germany, than he does for his team, Brooklyn. More and more NBA talent comes from over seas, with Jayson Tatum being the only American in the top 5 of MVP voting this season.
The question that will be answered at this Olympics, is what style will dominate basketball in the future, American isolation or European team play?
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