What level of concern should there be with Team USA?

The United States men’s national basketball team went undefeated throughout its exhibition slate ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, but it certainly didn’t put out a perfect performance in its five games.

Team USA trailed by double digits at halftime against South Sudan on Saturday before needing LeBron James to hit a game-winning basket with eight seconds remaining to give it a 101-100 win. Two days after narrowly beating a South Sudan team that USA was a 41.5-point favorite over, the men’s team had another close call against Germany, winning 92-88.

As the United States opens up group play on Sunday, FOX Sports’ John Fanta believes that Americans won’t coast through the Summer Games like they have in years past. He believes there are a pair of key issues currently surrounding the team.

“Defensively, this team is disjointed,” Fanta said on Keyshawn Johnson’s “All Facts No Breaks” podcast. “They don’t defend. They have not defended very well at all. Now, is part of that the exhibition games and being able to get up? We’re gonna find out once the Olympics starts, but they seem to turn it on a certain gear down the stretch in these exhibition games. But they shouldn’t be that close, and the spreads would indicate they shouldn’t be as close as they’ve been. 

“This team’s defensive effort needs to be a heck of a lot better.” 

Team USA allowed 86.2 points per game across its exhibition slate, which is nearly six points more (80.3 points allowed per game) than what the team allowed per game during the 10-game exhibition and tournament slate during the 2020 Summer Olympics. 

The last two games were particularly troubling on the defensive end. South Sudan shot 47.5% from the field and 42.4% from distance on Saturday, making seven more 3-pointers (14 to seven) than the USA. Germany didn’t shoot as efficiently, but it made twice as many 3-pointers as Team USA (13 to six).

In addition, the Germans had half the amount of turnovers as the Americans on Monday. They committed just seven turnovers to the Americans’ 14, which brings up Fanta’s other chief area of concern.

“This team doesn’t have a great point guard,” Fanta said. “Stephen Curry was not what he once was against Germany. He goes 1-for-7 from downtown, really struggled to shoot the basketball. LeBron saved the day again. LeBron James deserves all the credit in the world for the win over Germany. He single-handedly powered his team.

“But right now, this team is missing a great all-around in their prime point guard, and that’s my biggest issue right now. I can’t help but watch them and think, ‘Man, I would love to see Jalen Brunson on this United States team.’ I thought that was a roster miss.”

The list of players who could potentially be on the Olympic roster began to formulate during the past NBA season, with the expectation that James, Curry and Kevin Durant would be the three leaders of the roster. The 12-player roster was formally announced in April, before Brunson’s standout performance in the postseason.

Still, Team USA had an opportunity to add Brunson when Kawhi Leonard was scratched from the team during camp. However, it tabbed Derrick White to replace Leonard instead.

Fanta believes that Brunson would’ve brought connectivity on both ends of the floor. 

“[Brunson] was on the World Cup team [last year] and understood he didn’t have to be the 40-point guy,” Fanta said. “He said, ‘I’ll initiate the offense and be a winner,’ which is what he’s been in New York. He’s made the Knicks a relevant winning force. Curry’s past his prime. Yes, LeBron’s the point guard. But what, what happens if LeBron were to get banged up at all? What happens?”

But without Brunson, Fanta wants another standout guard who played on Team USA last summer to step up. 

“Anthony Edwards, he’s got to get into his comfort zone,” Fanta said. “We watched it in the playoffs. He was superb, orchestrating and hitting big-time shots. It feels like he’s battling, ‘I’m on the same team as guys I’ve looked up to or guys that have run the league in the past.’ Ant, you’re on this team for a reason.”

Edwards averaged 13 points per game during the exhibition stage, though he notably took a step back when he was on the court during crunch time in Team USA’s last two games. He’s only scored one point total in the fourth quarter of the last two games combined despite playing more than five minutes of each frame in both games.

Ultimately, Fanta thinks that Team USA will take down France to win the gold medal. But he doesn’t think that the debate that this team is greater than the 1992 Dream Team seems to be valid at the moment, picking the star group from 32 years ago to beat the current roster.

“They would beat them,” Fanta said of the Dream Team against the current Olympic squad. “They play structured basketball. They played together as a unit. That team was like watching synchronized swimming on a basketball floor. Everything is in motion, everything’s together. It was a work of art. 

“Right now. This team has the stars. They’ve got the stars. But to win at this level and to win against the world, you’ve got to be able to do it with finesse too. You’ve got to be able to do it collectively.”

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