Curry knows how important it is for everyone on the squad to be ready when their number is called.
Not everyone on Team USA will have their moment in the limelight. However, that unpredictability makes the United States men’s national basketball team dangerous. At any given moment, in any game, any of these 12 guys could take over and lead the team to victory.
As the knockout stages of the Paris Olympic men’s basketball competition commence, where one slip-up can have dire consequences, two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry says every player on Team USA must be ready for their moment.
Stay locked in
The Americans need three more wins in the Paris Summer Games to complete their golden run. However, unlike the group stage, where they won by an average margin of 21 points, the games in the knockout stages will be much closer and more competitive.
With the stakes higher and the level of competition increasing, Curry stresses the importance of every player staying locked in and ready to contribute at any time.
“The whole challenge for our team is everybody to remain locked in on when your opportunity comes, whether it’s a flurry of shots and a short segment of the game or whether you don’t touch it or get a shot off for a whole quarter, you still got to be ready for your next opportunity because you don’t know where it’s coming from,” Steph said as the team prepared for Brazil.
So far, Team USA’s players have embraced their roles well. Each of the first three wins featured a different leading scorer: Kevin Durant, who scored 23 points against Serbia; Bam Adebayo, who had 18 against South Sudan; and Anthony Edwards, who dropped 26 against Puerto Rico. Curry admitted that this is how it has to be, given the depth of talent and experience Team USA has.
“I know at a certain point somebody’s got to get hot in a close game, and whoever that is, you got to be ready for your moment. So whether that’s me, whether it’s whoever, that’s the challenge of this team, to be ready because every other team has a pretty much defined pecking order of scoring,” the superstar point guard said.
Curry’s struggles
With the FIBA three-point line being significantly shorter than the NBA three-point arc, one can assume Curry would have a field day shooting from deep. However, he has only managed to shoot 33 percent from beyond the arc, averaging 10.5 points on 39 percent shooting from the field.
The Golden State Warriors legend wants to shoot better. At the same time, he knows his mere presence presents a myriad of problems for their opponents. Commit to Steph at your peril, as his gravity on the court opens up opportunities for his teammates.
“For me, I want to shoot the ball better, obviously, but you just still have to be a threat to space,” the ten-time NBA All-Star said.
Despite Curry’s shooting struggles, Team USA coach Steve Kerr isn’t losing any sleep because he believes the team’s defense will dictate its success.“Yeah, but I’m not sitting here with bated breath thinking, ‘Oh my God, this has to happen,'” Kerr said, referring to one of Steph’s patented Curry flurries. “We know what wins a FIBA game — it’s defense. We are just completely focused on our defense, and part of defense is finishing the play with rebounds.”
Team USA has a cadre of supremely athletic and talented players who can take over a game anytime. But as we’ve seen in the past, FIBA basketball is a different beast entirely, and it’s not always about having the most star power.
The international game is physical and relies heavily on team chemistry and execution. Kerr has emphasized this to his players, who have adjusted their play styles for the sake of the team’s success.
