LILLE, France — Nobody told me to travel with a locksmith.
This journey covering the men's basketball games at the Olympics began in Lille, a town 140 miles from central Paris, but the biggest (and best) news story so far from here in the north of France was when a few days ago a local handyman used a saw to cut off the stuck latch on the front door to my apartment, saving this American reporter from having to wander a strange city with no place to sleep.
Come to think of it, Steve Kerr and I have been through something similar. In this gold-medal or nothing challenge, the Team USA coach's only job is to unlock the incredible potential of his star-studded squad. And before the Americans beat Serbia in their opening pool match on Sunday, when Kerr aired his concerns about the team's situation in multiple media sessions and declared, and ultimately accepted, that “it's time,” he wasn't so different from the local Frenchman who determines the tools needed for any job on a daily basis.
But while Kerr's choice not to use Jayson Tatum against Serbia may have attracted the most attention following the recent game, there was something a little overlooked in the aftermath, something more important that must now be rectified. Next up on Wednesday is South Sudan, with memories of a close friendly against them on July 20 still fresh. It's time Coach Kerr is looking to bring back his beloved Golden State Warriors teammate, Stephen Curry.
Considering all that Curry has accomplished — four championships, two MVPs, 10 All-Star appearances — it was a little surreal to see him as one of the “rookies” on the court against the Serbians. And not just in name only.
The 36-year-old Curry was a disappointment in his Olympic debut, scoring eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter before the game unofficially ended, but he still had just three assists, three rebounds and one turnover in 21 minutes (and, to be fair, he was plus-12 overall). More specifically, and more troubling, Curry's poor individual start had a lot to do with Serbia blowing a 10-2 lead that ended up being the only worry of the game for the U.S.
A careless sideline pass to Jrue Holiday just 18 seconds into the game led to a layup, an early defensive inattention led to a backcut and an easy shot, and, as Curry alluded to after the game, it's entirely possible that the excitement of this new experience brought an uncharacteristic casualness to his game.
“I was pretty nervous before the game, leading up to the national anthem,” Curry said. “It was a great atmosphere. Obviously it was packed, the energy was great. It's something I've been looking forward to for a long time to put on this uniform at this level, and I'm enjoying this moment. So you can see why I'm so energized from the opening ceremony to sitting on the bench tonight. It's a lot of fun, so I want to show you something at the end.”
The same goes for Kerr, who is better prepared than anyone to help Curry reach his potential as soon as possible. Remember, it was Curry who had a big game against Serbia on July 17, scoring 24 points and making six three-pointers. But this is Curry's third straight game in which he's struggled, shooting 38.7% (12 of 31) from the field and just 30.4% (7 of 23) from the three-point field, averaging 11.3 points, 2.7 assists, 3 rebounds and 0.3 turnovers.
Stephen Curry is averaging just over 11 points over the U.S. team's last three games while shooting just 38.7 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range. (Thomas Koex/AFP via Getty Images)
But as Kerr explained, Curry is widely regarded as the greatest shooter of all time, which means he still makes a big difference when his legendary shots aren't going down.
“Steph started off slow (against Serbia),” Kerr said, “but you see the impact he's making. He comes out of a double (team), LeBron (James) throws it to Jrue Holiday for a layup, because they're scared of Steph. So the great thing about Steph is, whether he makes the shot or not, he impacts the game because he scares the other team. Just the threat of Steph impacts the game.”
Curry believes perseverance is the key to rediscovering his game while surrounded by greats.
“This is our sixth game together, but the first one doesn't count because nobody was good,” he explained. “So it's a weird dynamic where you understand the urgency of the moment and you have to play your best every night, but you're also used to the uncertainty of not knowing what's going to happen every night. You never know who's going to step up. Tonight it's going to be KD (his impressive 23-point performance against Serbia), but on Wednesday it could be someone else. That's the beauty of this team.”
Anthony Edwards finally got his wish: to play alongside his favorite player, Kevin Durant. After missing training camp and the five subsequent exhibition games with a calf injury, the 22-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves star and first-time Olympic player longed to relish his first opportunity to play alongside his favorite player. Durant was at his best, scoring 23 points on a breathtaking 8-of-9 shooting, and Edwards was the last person left in the basketball world to be astonished by his greatness.
“I expected nothing less,” Edwards said of Durant with a smile. “He proved why he's my favorite player of all time.”
From Edwards' perspective, the best thing was that the two ended up causing the damage together.
Indeed, it was the second unit, led by Edwards and Durant, that rallied the Americans after a slow start. They turned the tide with consecutive 3-pointers late in the first quarter — first by Durant and then by Edwards 27 seconds later — forcing a Serbian timeout. Edwards and Durant last shared the court when Durant's Phoenix Suns were swept by Edwards' Timberwolves in the first round of last season's NBA playoffs, and celebrated together near the bench with low-five, smiles and chest-bumps. From there, Edwards, who is sure to entertain, continued to play. An alley-oop dunk off James at the end of the first quarter sealed the comeback for Team USA, and a blender basket past Nikola Jovic at the end of the third quarter sealed the unofficial win.
He came off the bench and recorded 11 points, five rebounds and a plus-16 rating in 19 minutes.
“It was fun,” Edwards said of his official Olympic debut. “I mean, I wasn't as nervous this time around (compared to previous exhibition games), so it was fun. And I got to play with KD, so that was good.”
Going deeper
On Team USA, Kevin Durant is a mentor to Anthony Edwards, just like Kobe was before him.
South Sudan's astonishing rise
If Edwards' evaluation of the last game against South Sudan is any indication, the U.S. won't be surprised by the Olympic newbies this time around. Despite the disparity between the two teams, and South Sudan playing in its first men's basketball game, the U.S. came from behind by 16 points and 58-44 at halftime to win, 101-100.
“We weren't ready last time,” Edwards said, “so we're going to come prepared, watch their film and be ready to come back and beat them.”
Since then, South Sudan, coached by former NBA player Royal Ivey and staffed by former NBA player Luol Deng, beat Puerto Rico 90-79 on Sunday for the team's first Olympic victory. This isn't the first time South Sudan has surprised an unguarded team: They were the top African nation in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and earned an invitation to the Olympics.
But South Sudan's final two games and the high level of play they showed make them the heartwarming story of early Olympic basketball, because their story is much bigger than basketball. It's only been 13 years since South Sudan gained independence to become the youngest African country on earth, but most of the time since has been plagued by civil war and ethnic violence.
“This is an incredible feat, considering that there has been conflict in that region for so long,” said Carr, who is well known for his international awareness and empathy. “A lot of refugees have come to the United States and other countries over the past few decades to rebuild their lives. And in the midst of war and hardship, we founded a basketball federation, and Mr. Royal and his staff put together a really good team that plays modern basketball, stretching the floor, shooting three-pointers, attacking the rim. This is pretty dramatic and remarkable, considering that this region was probably the slowest developing country for basketball, because basketball didn't spread there for as long as it did in South America and Europe.”
“You see the growth of soccer in Africa with Nigeria beating (Team USA) in 2019 (in an exhibition game leading up to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics) and then the win they gave us recently against South Sudan, but everything that's happened in South Sudan in particular is just a remarkable story.”
South Sudan can advance to the knockout stage if they beat either the United States or Serbia on Saturday, but if they don't win either match, they still have a chance. Twelve teams will compete in total, with the top two from each of the three groups and the best two third-placed teams advancing to the quarterfinals.
Going deeper
Kerr says Tatum will 'play' for US team against South Sudan after being benched Sunday
(Stephen Curry top photo by Marcus Gilliar – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
