Team USA Basketball Might Have Effort Problem

Try as we might, it’s easy to overreact to the disjointed second half turned in by Team USA in a narrow win over Australia in Abu Dhabi.

Energy in spurts, effectiveness largely in isolation, and soft interior defense contributed to the white-knuckle finish in the exhibition game that left head coach Steve Kerr with cause for concern.

Playing without Kevin Durant—KD isn’t injured; he’ll likely suit up for one of the three remaining pre-Olympics test runs—Kerr shuffled his starting lineup and continued to trot out heavy-legged Joel Embiid at the 5. Embiid was again outplayed by Anthony Davis, who came off the bench and had everything but the cape to rescue Team USA with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

The bright spots beyond Davis weren’t many.

After a team theme with defense carrying for dominant stretches in the opening exhibition win over Canada, the standout moments were largely out of isolation plays and individual effort flashes—largely Davis—from Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker. Edwards didn’t miss a shot in the first quarter, scoring 11 points with three triples. Edwards was nearly invisible in the second half, save for a driving left-hand finish that resulted in a vital and-one.

But when he did stand out, it was in moments of inexplicable overdribble isolation beyond the 3-point line when Australia had overcommitted to keep him out of the paint.

Booker appeared to be capable of cooking any defender the Australians put in front of him, but when in the lineup alongside LeBron James, was pushed off the ball—as was Pacers dynamo playmaker Tyrese Haliburton—and out of peak effectiveness.

Kerr’s problem isn’t talent, but finding the proper mix.

There were possessions in the first half against Australia when the team in Team USA appeared with zippy ball movement and an inside-outside popping of passes the Boomers couldn’t contend with.

James was effective in the first quarter but is being used as a shooter and facilitator when most international opponents would have zero answers for his post-passing and attacking from the low post or corner.

When Kerr runs with multiple point guards—for the case of argument, we’ll count Steph Curry, although he was a park-and-pump perimeter option almost exclusively on Monday—and includes any combination of Edwards, James, Durant, Jayson Tatum and Davis, there isn’t a country in uniform with an answer. The nearest challenger to that kind of versatility will be France because of its size, namely Twin Towers Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert.

Effort is a tricky and arbitrary measurement in exhibition games. We get it.

But even when it came time to clamp down, the US gave up easy bunnies inside—see the late-game SLOB that led to a Jock Landale and-one finish—and those shots were there. All. Game. Long.

Australia had no post presence that could stack up with the All-NBA interior options of Team USA, but there they were scoring at will and racking up more than two-thirds of their offense on points in the paint.

Serbia, which is also in the Team USA pool in Paris, won’t have an effort problem on Wednesday, and after watching the takers mentality of Australia in Abu Dhabi, expect them to be in attack mode against Embiid and Davis.

The only things that kept Australia from scoring the upset were outside shooting and Davis.

But his nemesis, Nikola Jokic, leads Serbia and a roster that won’t have the same issues knocking down open 3-pointers. Australia was 4 for 17. Bogdan Bogdanovic already owns FIBA records for 3-point accuracy.

Exhibition or not, there’s plenty at stake for Team USA on Wednesday.