U.S. men’s basketball coach Steve Kerr is correct.
He can’t go wrong picking a starting lineup for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
But the question is: Can he be more right with one starting five over another starting five?
And more specifically, who should start at center for the U.S.? Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis or Bam Adebayo?
While Embiid has started in the USA’s three pre-Olympics exhibition games, including Wednesday’s impressive 105-79 victory against medal-contender Serbia in Abu Dhabi, Davis has emerged as the team’s best scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking big man.
Does that mean Davis should start? All three big men had their moments in the victory against Serbia and Nikola Jokic – the first opponent for the U.S. in Group C play at the Olympics.
In what was a close game in the second quarter, the U.S. began to pull away with Davis and Adebayo on the court. A 44-40 U.S. lead midway through the second quarter turned in to a 59-45 halftime lead. Davis had two blocked shots during that stretch and Adebayo showed off his offensive game – especially on 3-pointers – with 12 points in the first half.
The U.S. began the third quarter with a 12-0 run and extended its lead to 71-45 with Embiid, who started the game 1-for-5 from the field, on the court.
Lack of size, strength, rim protection and rebounding were issues for the U.S. at last year’s FIBA World Cup. That is not a problem at this summer’s Olympics.
That backline presence of Embiid, Davis and Adebayo allows the U.S. perimeter players to play aggressive defense. They can clean up mistakes, and that was on display against Serbia, a patient, well-coached and experienced team that won silver at the FIBA World Cup.
Serbia shot just 40.8% from the field, and 29.4% on 3-pointers, and Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, had 16 points on 6-for-19 shooting and missed his four 3-point attempts.
Davis has a game that works well in international basketball with his ability to play inside and outside. He went to the bench in the fourth quarter with seven points, six blocks and six rebounds. Adebayo finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Embiid had eight points and eight rebounds. The U.S. outrebounded Serbia 38-26.
Adebayo was a plus-22, Davis a plus-21 and Embiid a plus-five against Serbia. With that production from the bigs and Steph Curry rebounding from a poor shooting game against Australia with 24 points (including 6-for-9 on 3-pointers), Anthony Edwards adding 16 points and LeBron James 11, the remaining 11 teams are playing for silver and bronze.
So how does Kerr manage his bigs? Right now, he likes Embiid in the starting lineup with Davis and Adebayo off the bench. That makes sense. Embiid is a force with his size and strength, which not only makes the game difficult on the opposing big man, but it wears him down. And then Kerr can bring in Davis and Adebayo.
Perhaps the only other team that can match that is France with Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert; Germany with Mo and Franz Wagner, Johannes Voigtmann and Daniel Theis; and Australia with Joe Ingles, Jock Landale and Will Magnay.
Kerr has the ability to play two of them or even all three at the same time, and against a team such as France or Germany, Kerr could start two of them.
He has options at that position that the U.S. didn’t have last year, and options that are difficult to combat this year. No matter who he decides to start.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt
