-
Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
PARIS — Team USA has initiated the “appropriate fear” phrase.
This tradition traces back to Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, who pioneered the mindset — a respect for the underdog mantra he brought to the San Antonio Spurs and later as coach of Team USA.
And one that current coach Steve Kerr, one of Popovich’s many pupils, has been imparting this week as the Americans prepare to see South Sudan on Wednesday in Olympic pool play. On the heels of an impressive win over Serbia, another U.S. victory would clinch a spot in next week’s quarterfinals.
South Sudan is playing in its first Olympics and doesn’t have any current NBA players on its roster. But the Bright Stars beat Puerto Rico in their Olympic opener last Sunday and pushed Team USA to the brink in a one-point loss in a friendly in London less than two weeks ago.
“We have appropriate fear,” said Steph Curry, who has played for Kerr for a decade with the Golden State Warriors and is quite familiar with the concept. “We know we can’t just sleepwalk through any game and feel like you’re going to win.”
The U.S. is a heavy favorite against the Bright Stars; ESPN Bet has set the line at 29.5 points. But they were favored by more than 40 points on July 20, when it took a basket by LeBron James with eight seconds left and surviving multiple good looks the South Sudanese got just before the buzzer for the U.S. to secure a 101-100 victory.
“They came within one shot of beating us,” Kerr said. “I’m really glad that we played them so we can feel their speed and their 3-point shooting ability and feel how good they are.”
Unlike Serbia, a methodical bruising team that prefers to play slow and rough, South Sudan is loaded with athletes at plays with an NBA-level quickness.
Led by former NBA player and current Houston Rockets assistant coach Royal Ivey, South Sudan will have five 3-point shooting threats on the floor at all times and look to spread opponents out. They made 14 3-pointers against the Americans in London and made 10 more against Puerto Rico.
“The exhibition schedule was great because you got to figure out where we need to get better and also feel the force of teams that are coming trying to beat us,” Curry said. “They’re a very high-octane offense, spread the floor, shoot a lot of threes and have athleticism. So you just got to be mindful of how to guard them. It’s totally different than Serbia.”
High on the scouting report will be former Philadelphia 76ers wing Marial Shayok, who lit up the U.S. for 24 points in the last meeting. He and former NBA forward Wenyan Gabriel combined to shoot 9-of-15 on 3-pointers.
Former G-League Player of the Year Carlik Jones had a triple double in the game in London, breaking down the American perimeter defense with aggressive drives that opened up kick outs to 3-point shooters. Jones, who recently signed a with Serbian power FK Partizan, had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Puerto Rico.
“We’ll be much better prepared [Wednesday],” Kerr said. “But doesn’t guarantee anything.”
Also Tuesday, Team USA center Joel Embiid spoke to media for the first time since arriving in France. Embiid was booed by the French crowd in Lille on Sunday, not unexpected after he passed on offers to play for France in these Olympics to play for Team USA.
“[Reaction is] nothing,” Embiid said. “Like I’ve said, I’m an American. I play for Team USA.”
Embiid grew up in Cameroon and moved to the U.S when he was 16. He was granted French citizenship in 2022 and American citizenship in 2023.