U.S Basketball is currently playing a group of Showcase Games before the start of the Paris Olympic Games.
These contests give teams an opportunity to figure out what lineups are best suited for Olympic play, especially for a group like USA Basketball that has so much optionality.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is also the head coach for Team USA, and he has played around with several different starting lineups this summer.
For USA’s Showcase Game against South Sudan on Saturday, Kerr moved Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum to the bench in favor of Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker.
Starting Five vs 🇸🇸
🇺🇸 Steph Curry
🇺🇸 Devin Booker
🇺🇸 Jrue Holiday
🇺🇸 LeBron James
🇺🇸 Joel Embiid
Tatum started in USA’s Showcase Game victory over Serbia on Wednesday, scoring four points in 21 minutes of play. Kerr’s new lineup features three guards, which can be difficult to navigate defensively, but USA should have enough firepower to offset this.
As previously mentioned, USA has a lot of options with their starting lineup, as Anthony Edwards has seen time in the starting five as well. Kerr will likely have a set group he prefers to start games with by the time USA opens Olympic play against Serbia on July 28th.
For now, Golden State’s head coach seems to like Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid in that starting group, with the fifth spot being open to players like Edwards, Tatum, Booker, and potentially others.
