Team USA is arguably the most talented basketball team ever assembled and it starts with two of the greatest players in NBA history in LeBron James and Stephen Curry. The 2024 Olympics in Paris have allowed for the two all-time greats to team up for the first time and they the duo is nearly impossible to stop when they get going.
USA head coach Steve Kerr has used LeBron basically as the point guard with Curry operating primarily off the ball, which allows for some creative sets. Curry is used to this as they use many of these actions with the Golden State Warriors, but with James involved it makes it even more unstoppable.
Curry recently spoke on being used in this way and as a screener, saying that the goal is to create confusion within the defense and with LeBron going downhill and him moving into space, the opposition has an impossible decision to make, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic:
“I’m a good screener and can cause some confusion for a guy like (LeBron) having the ball,” Curry said, before the Americans’ practice in preparation for an Olympic quarterfinal against Brazil Tuesday. “We do it a little bit in Golden State where you have somebody else having the ball and me setting it, and I have a lot of different actions you can run, but if you get (LeBron) going downhill, good luck to anybody trying to stop him and having me come off into space.
“Just try to make teams make decisions and the more decisions you can make a defense make the better chance you have to create confusion,” Curry continued.
It only makes sense for Kerr to use Curry in similar actions that he is used to and putting LeBron in the Draymond Green role, but to an even higher degree. Curry is the greatest shooter ever and James is the best at going downhill towards the rim so allowing both to do what their best at only benefits Team USA that much more.
Curry and LeBron likely won’t get another chance to be on the same team in a competitive fashion again so it is great to see them make the most of it now.
LeBron James mentions Canada and Germany amongst challenges Team USA faces in knockout round
LeBron James and Stephen Curry were two of the biggest reasons Team USA went undefeated and took the top seed in group play. But now that the knockout round is here, there is no more room for error and some serious challenges await them.
James acknowledged this, mentioning Canada and Germany, who both went undefeated in group play as well, as big challenges facing Team USA. Thankfully, due to being the top seed, those two squads are on the other side of the bracket. But LeBron also noted that, should Team USA get by Brazil in the quarterfinals, Serbia and Australia won’t be easy games at all either.
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