Team USA head coach Steve Kerr has the easiest and hardest job in the world, simultaneously.
On one hand, the United States has a roster deeper than any other country with 12 stars who are among the best basketball players on the planet. On the other hand, Kerr is responsible for navigating starting lineups and rotations with a roster of 12 of the best basketball players on the planet.
Only five guys can start, and with quick 10-minute quarters, it’s almost impossible to play everyone on the team. Just ask NBA MVP center Joel Embiid, four-time All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum, and two-time All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who have all received “DNP — coach’s decisions” just two games into the Olympics.
DeCourcy: 3 takeaways from USA’s win over South Sudan
Kerr continues to toy with Team USA’s starting lineups and rotations, and no matter what decision he makes, it seems like it is pegged as the wrong one despite owning a perfect 7-0 overall record and 2-0 record in the Olympics.
Is it time for Kerr to settle on a starting lineup and rotation? The Sporting News takes a closer look below.
Why head coach Steve Kerr continues to change USA Basketball’s starting lineups
Kerr has used four different starting lineups in seven games and already announced that he will revert to Team USA’s most frequently used starting five — Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James and Joel Embiid — in its upcoming game against Puerto Rico.
| Team USA starting lineups | Number of games used |
| Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday | 4 |
| Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards | 1 |
| Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday | 1 |
| Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis | 1 |
The only constants have been Curry and James, while Booker and Holiday have started in five of the seven games.
Embiid started in Team USA’s first six games before being replaced in the starting lineup against South Sudan and not seeing the floor at all. Tatum — who was coming off of a DNP — slotted back into the starting lineup for the third time on Wednesday.
When Tatum didn’t see the floor in the United States’ win over Serbia, Kerr said he “went with the combinations that made sense” and mentioned that the decision was particular to that matchup.
When Embiid didn’t see the floor in the United States’ win over South Sudan, Kerr, once again, said it was situational because South Sudan is “the fastest team in the tournament.”
“They’re pros and committed to each other,” Kerr told the media when asked about certain stars not playing, according to the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver. “… I don’t read social media. I would hope our guys aren’t paying too much attention to that. That’s a regular season thing where the soap opera can carry the ratings. Here, it’s just win a damn gold.”
Team USA is undefeated, so it’s hard to knock Kerr’s carousel of rotations too much, but at what point does it mess with the on-court chemistry for players to constantly be in and out of the lineup?
The United States’ second unit frontcourt of Davis and Bam Adebayo has been an unstoppable force on both ends of the floor. Even if each of those players has outplayed Embiid and deserves to start, it didn’t make a ton of sense to break up that tandem that has established so much success.
With that being said, Team USA’s bench outscored South Sudan’s 66-14 despite moving Davis and Tatum to the starting five. It goes to show that so far, no matter who starts and who comes off the bench, this team’s talent is too prevalent to alter the outcome.
There’s also a looming question of if or when Durant will return to the starting lineup. USA Basketball’s all-time leading scorer already looks quite comfortable on the court through two Olympic games after missing all five exhibitions with a calf injury.
Will Kerr need to alter the starting five again to accommodate the team’s most decorated player?
Bigger games against tougher teams are coming. Team USA’s group was the weakest of the three, and it will soon be challenged with the best teams in the Olympics on a three-game stretch to win gold.
Maybe Kerr’s just using the Group Stage to find the right combinations and will clean it up when the Knockout Round begins, ut also, maybe this summer’s United States men’s national team is just too good for it to matter.
