Team USA’s ferocious ‘bench mob’ is its biggest advantage in Olympics

Team USA’s ferocious ‘bench mob’ is its biggest advantage in Olympics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steve Kerr is not worried about Stephen Curry’s shooting, and neither is Stephen Curry.

Moreover, there is no need. Both realize that while an uncharacteristically low-scoring output from Curry might cripple their NBA team, the Warriors, it’s barely relevant with their Team USA squad.

Which is why even after committing four fouls in 21 minutes and missing eight of nine shots, including a blown layup and all six of his 3-point attempts, Curry on Wednesday could embrace Team USA’s 103-86 rout of South Sudan in the Olympics.

So, too, could Kerr, who finds himself in unfamiliar territory – and we don’t mean France. For once, he has no anxiety over his team’s non-Steph minutes.

An annual concern with the Warriors, those minutes are covered sufficiently by others on the Team USA roster. When Curry is on the bench – or off his game – they can do enough scoring, playmaking, rebounding and defending to drop any opponent.

Team USA has not only the most talented roster in Paris but also the deepest. By far. This allows Kerr tremendous flexibility with lineups and rotations. The “second unit” – regardless of its membership in each game – is built to destroy.

“We have an embarrassment of riches on this roster,” Kerr told reporters in Lille, France. “That’s the best way to put it. These guys are all champions, All-Stars, Hall of Famers, however you want to put it.

“So, the whole thing is are we committed to the goal? That’s it. That’s it.”

Consider the second unit against South Sudan: Bam Adebayo, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. They combined to score 60 points on 59.4-percent shooting from the field, including 66.7 percent from distance. Add 11th man Tyrese Haliburton’s six points on 2-of-3 from deep, and the bench totals climb to 66 points on obscene accuracy.

“That’s a pretty potent group when you come off the bench with Bam, Kevin and Derrick White,” Kerr said.

“I just think Steve trusts us,” Adebayo said. “He looks at the bench as a spark, a boost, and we did that tonight.”

The bench is no less potent if there’s an adjustment. In Team USA’s 110-84 romp over Serbia in the opening game Sunday, the second unit – with Anthony Davis coming off the bench instead of Holiday – scored 44 points on 62-percent shooting from the field, including 63.6 percent beyond the arc.

They refer to themselves as the “bench mob,” and participation is fluid, as is the overall rotation. Jayson Tatum did not play against Serbia but started against South Sudan. Joel Embiid started against Serbia but never took off his sweats against South Sudan.

Regardless of who has stepped onto the court in the first two games, engagement was evident on both ends. Compared to the five exhibition games designed to prepare for the Olympics, Team USA’s ball movement and spirited defense are up, while turnovers and missed assignments are down.

“With the amount of talent, IQ and skill in the States, we can mix and match like that,” Durant said. “Last game, we had a champion and all-NBA guy [Tatum] not play any minutes, and tonight we had an MVP [Embiid] not play any minutes. They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly.

“Defensively, our intensity was there. Coach mixed it up with starting [Davis], who can switch out on a lot of stuff because [South Sudan] is a smaller team. It’s good to have a versatile team.”

Opponents are throwing their best players at Team USA’s starters, only to see the back end of their rosters get ravaged when Kerr sends his reserves onto the floor to turn up the defense and light up the scoreboard.

Of Team USA’s 213 points through its first two games, 112 have been delivered by those coming off the bench, with 101 provided by the starters. It’s early, but the formula has been successful.

And yet, there has been debate about whether Tatum should have played against Serbia and Embiid against South Sudan. That debate seems to rage only from outside Team USA’s circle.

“For us, man, it’s just going out there and playing to the best of our abilities,” Adebayo said in a televised interview with NBC. “We got some of the greatest talents in the world. So just for us to go out there and compete and execute.”

Team USA never felt threatened while beating Serbia by 26 and South Sudan by 17.  Puerto Rico is next up, on Saturday, with Embiid expected to move back into the starting lineup.

Curry also is expected to be among the starting five. Maybe he’ll heat up. Maybe not. Either way, he and Kerr should be free of worry.

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