Stephen Curry admits playing on a stacked USA Olympic basketball team where he is not expected to carry the offence like he does with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA is requiring a great deal of adjustment.
The star point guard scored just three points in 22 minutes during USA's 98-92 win over Australia in a warm-up game in Abu Dhabi on Monday that saw the Americans almost blow a 20-point lead in the last 15 minutes.
Lakers centre Anthony Davis came off the bench to lead the scoring for USA with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards was right behind him with 14 points, four rebounds and two assists.
"It's an adjustment, not just for me, for everybody," said Curry, who will be making his Olympics debut in Paris this summer.
"Even how we're rotating the lineups right now, just because we're trying to get a feel for different combinations.
"You're going five minutes at a time, then you sit. Hockey subs, that's different, how we're playing with the talent around, that's a different adjustment.
"It's just a mindfulness of knowing where your shots might come and being ready for those."
Head coach Steve Kerr had said before the game he planned on testing out different starting lineups during these exhibition games and he did indeed tweak the first unit he used in last week's win over Canada, keeping LeBron James, Curry, and Joel Embiid but starting Edwards and Jayson Tatum instead of Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker.
Kevin Durant remains sidelined with a calf strain, while Davis, Booker, Holiday, Bam Adebayo, and Tyrese Haliburton served as the second unit that alternated with the starters throughout the game.
USA led by 20 points midway through the third quarter but Australia narrowed their deficit to just six points with five minutes left in the fourth.
Back-to-back threes from Indiana Pacers' Haliburton briefly got the Americans back on track but the Boomers upped the pressure once again and got dangerously close to erasing the gap.
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Anthony Edwards of USA scores during the USA's 98-92 exhibition match against Australia at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Stephen Curry of USA signs autographs after the game. Team USA play two warmup matches in Abu Dhabi as part of their 2024 Paris Olympics preparations, with Serbia up next. -
LeBron James of USA, right, takes on Jock Landale of Australia. -
The USA national anthem is played before the game at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. -
Anthony Davis came off the bench to lead the scoring for USA with 17 points and 14 rebounds. -
Joel Embiid of USA scores during the game against Australia. -
Fans during the game between the USA and Australia at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. -
Stephen Curry of USA admitted after the match that playing in a star-studded USA team means making some adjustments. -
LeBron James of USA controls the ball during the game against Australia. -
Anthony Davis of USA, right, takes on Will Magnay of Australia. -
Jayson Tatum of USA takes on Patty Mills of Australia. -
USA coach Steve Kerr holds tha ball during the game. -
Devin Booker of the USA scores against Australia. -
LeBron James of USA takes on Jack McVeigh of Australia. -
Will Magnay of Australia hits a lay up.
Australia's Jock Landale, Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels all finished in the double digits and combined for 51 points.
Kerr said Monday's game – the first of two games in Abu Dhabi with Serbia up next on Wednesday – was a welcome warning against complacency and a reminder the team can't take their foot off the gas pedal after building big leads.
He is confident there is enough time for the group – which is the most star-studded and most decorated to represent USA since the famous Dream Team of 1992 – to iron out the kinks before their Olympics opener against Serbia in Lille on July 28.
Kerr paid special tribute to Davis, who also found himself in an unfamiliar role on Monday, coming off the bench.
"He was amazing tonight, he's been fantastic those first 10 days or whatever we've been together," said Kerr.
"Obviously we've got a lot of talent, every single guy is capable of starting and playing big minutes.
"The strength of our team is our depth and we have to utilise that depth and put pressure on teams for 40 minutes, regardless of the combinations."
Next up for USA is an exhibition clash on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi against Serbia, who will be led by reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
Jokic and his Serbian teammates were in the stands and watched the first half of the USA-Australia game.
"They're a great team. They're in our pool in Paris and we're going to have to beat them when it counts in a couple of weeks but it'll be good to get a good feel for what we're going to face," said Curry of the 2023 World Cup silver medallists.
"They have a very strong, big, physical team and we have to match that physicality and be able to play Team USA basketball. It would be good to get some film on it too."
