Team USA got their preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics to a great start with an 86-72 win over the Canadian national team. Canada approached the game with real intensity, especially through the rough play of Dillon Brooks. Fans watching the first exhibition have noticed Brooks tried injuring both LeBron James and Stephen Curry as the game was going on.
Brooks clearly stuck his leg out as LeBron was driving to the rim, prompting the four-time champion to fall onto the court.
Look at Dillon Brooks' right foot. What in the world is he doing? pic.twitter.com/aP2lvs8fob
— Jason Timpf (@_JasonLT) July 11, 2024
Eagle-eyed fans noticed he tried doing the same to Curry during a play where Curry ended up scoring as Brooks failed to trip the 2022 Finals MVP.
He did the exact same thing to Steph herepic.twitter.com/lZRWYrqR8W
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) July 11, 2024
This sort of play is something that’s expected from Brooks, who is a notorious pest and has had his fair share of hard fouls on opponents.
This will obviously be magnified given Brooks tried this against arguably the two biggest active names in the sport. An injury to James or Curry ahead of the Olympics because of a Dillon Brooks foul would cause American fans to treat the Rockets’ swingman like a pariah.
Brooks averaged 12.7 points and 3.4 rebounds last season, having a strong year for the Houston Rockets and helping them compete for a Play-In Tournament spot. He reshaped the team’s defensive identity, so his skill and acumen as a player shouldn’t be discounted.
However, hard fouls could lead to Brooks being vilified for more years to come, even on a team that isn’t the Memphis Grizzlies.
Team USA Needs To Be Careful At The Olympics
Team USA has the biggest target on their backs at the Olympics this year, as they’ve brought about a superteam that most countries will try to beat through toughness and physicality. This is a tale as old as basketball itself, as other countries try to beat the USA by focusing on the physicality allowed by the FIBA rule set, with the NBA barely allowing contact.
The players on Team USA will make $511 million next season, proving how valuable they are as individuals. An injury sustained over the summer will likely hurt their start to the season, as Team USA will be competing till late August before taking a small break ahead of training camp in mid-September.
Brooks isn’t going to be the only one to try and foul these star-level players seriously, with multiple countries making it their identity to play rough. Serbia balances toughness and skill impeccably, so their matchup with Team USA on July 17 will be fascinating to watch.
Players like James and Curry are indelible to their respective franchises, something that can be said about all the star players and their franchises in the squad. Playing cautiously will likely lead to lost production on the court, but it’s a delicate balance they need to strike to protect their health and play hard for the Gold medal.
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