U. S. roster,
“No, we didn’t score well tonight.”
Kevin Durant made it clear that hot shooting and electric offense wouldn’t define Team USA, emphasizing that defense and effort would give the team the backbone it needed to win Olympic gold once again this summer.
“We’ve been trying to find our (offensive) rhythm and also play great defense,” Durant said after an 80-45 exhibition win against Venezuela on July 29 that saw the Americans shoot the ball 16% from beyond the arc. “Coach is not going to scream because our shots didn’t go in.” And he won’t. “We don’t want to just hit 17 three-pointers and not work hard,” Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “You can play really good defense, and you can rebound every night. It’s about effort. Our guys keep giving us that effort.”
The team’s LeBron James-less and Stephen Curry-less identity is starting to take shape. There has been a significant adjustment period — to the international style of play, to a basketball “with a lot more panels on it” that has been giving players fits, and of course, to meshing as a unit. But the team bond has become a driving force with the development on the court.
“I’m really pleased with our great camaraderie,” Durant said. “We love playing together. We’re out there supporting each other and becoming a tight core group. Our rotations are not really developed yet, but we’ve only been together for two weeks. The great thing is there are no egos here.”
Durant and his new Golden State Warriors teammates Draymond Green and Klay Thompson provide a “super team” punch, but the leadership of four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony has been the key ingredient to the team’s chemistry, according to Krzyzewski.
Venezuela coach Nestor Garcia said Anthony was the most difficult player to prepare for by far.
“He shoots like a 2-guard and posts up like a 5-guard,” Garcia said of Anthony. “He’s a leader. And he’s a killer.”
In the exhibition contests lead- ing up to Rio de Janeiro, Team USA coaches have emphasized the process, with each opponent offering a different area for the Americans to grow.
“This is a prime example,” said Anthony, who was 2-for-10 from the field against Venezuela. “We were trying to hold this team to 40 points.”
Kyrie Irving, Team USA’s starting point guard, is one of four NBA champions on the roster. While he’s the second-youngest player, he said his recent title with the Cleveland Cavaliers had catapulted him into a role he felt comfortable with.
“This is what I’ve been preparing for my entire life,” Irving said.
Jimmy Butler went 2-for-8 from the floor but finished the game with a punctuating slam dunk off a tip pass from Kyle Lowry. The play had the stadium going wild, as well as the teammates on the bench.
“You see us cheering on the bench, we want to see everyone do well. That’s what we’re about,” Durant said. “We’ve got the best players in the world, the best shooters, the best penetrators in the world. … Everybody’s a playmaker. We’re not lacking in any area.
“Shots not falling, that doesn’t really matter to us.”