All the talk surrounding Team USA in the 2024 Olympics has been about stars being benched or not getting enough game time. That’s not been the case for Devin Booker, though, who started both games and played big minutes in them. Some might not have seen that coming before the Olympics and head coach Steve Kerr explained why Booker has been a starter.
“He’s probably the guy who’s been most adaptable to go from a different role in the NBA to a new one here. He’s such a big scorer in the league, but just like in Tokyo, he’s adapted to being an on-ball guy, ball mover, the offense clicks when he’s out there and the defense is really good. That’s why he’s started every game and seems to be good with any combination.”
Booker has indeed adapted well to whatever role he has been asked to play and has done a bit of everything for Team USA. The 27-year-old has put up 11.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game at the Olympics, while shooting 66.7% from the field and 71.4% from beyond the arc.
Booker has also played the most minutes for Team USA (24.0 per game) which shows the trust that Kerr has in him. As the 58-year-old stated, the Phoenix Suns star fits well with any combination of players that are on the court, and expect him to get big minutes the rest of the way as well.
Devin Booker Had Said He Would Be Willing To Be A Role Player For Team USA After The FIBA World Cup
While some stars might not be all that keen on doing the unglamorous tasks on the court, it’s not a surprise that Booker is fine with it. Following Team USA’s disastrous 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign, where they didn’t win a medal, Kyle Kuzma had stated that they needed NBA stars who were willing to play a role, and the four-time All-Star said he would do it.
“I’ll do it.”
I’ll do it https://t.co/77PBGNEQ0W
— Book (@DevinBook) September 12, 2023
Booker sure stayed true to his word. This is a guy who just averaged 27.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in the 2023-24 season for the Suns, but he has been content with playing off the ball and has spent a lot of energy on the defensive end.
Booker did the same at the Tokyo Olympics as well, and he looks on his way to getting his hands on another Olympic gold medal here in Paris. There were some concerns surrounding Team USA following the exhibition games but those have been dismissed in some style at the main event.
Team USA played Serbia in the opening game and blew them out 110-84. After that, they faced a South Sudan team that nearly beat them in the exhibition games, but the rematch was lopsided. The U.S. jumped out to an early lead and kept their opponents at arm’s length the rest of the way to win 103-86.
With that second win Team USA qualified for the knockouts, but they’d be keen on putting on another dominant showing against Puerto Rico in the final group-stage game. I think another double-digit win is very much on the cards, as they look to be the top seed in the bracket for the knockouts.
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