Anthony Davis started for Team USA for the first time this summer, being promoted ahead of their matchup against South Sudan. Davis put up eight points and seven rebounds in a solid outing but had a minor injury scare when he got tangled up with former Lakers’ teammate Wenyen Gabriel and hurt his ankle. He was subbed off after that but revealed to fans he remains 100% health-wise.
“Wenyen being Wenyen. He’s my guy. I was falling and he came down too and just kind of stepped on my foot.”
Davis had some impressive moments against Gabriel during the contest, especially this play over Gabriel to add two easy points for the USA.
Davis would play just 18 minutes in the game, tallying eight points and seven rebounds with two blocks and a steal. The real scoring punch for the USA came from backup big man Bam Adebayo, who went off for 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-2 3PT). Despite Davis nicking his ankle late in the game, Joel Embiid would get a DNP and not feature in the contest.
The USA have secured qualification for the quarter-finals, with their next game against the already-eliminated Puerto Rico. This is a dead-rubber game for the teams, so resting Davis to protect his knee and giving Embiid another game to help him adjust to the rule set might benefit Team USA.
Anthony Davis Knows Team USA Needs To Play Perfect Basketball To Win
Team USA had a tough run-up to the Olympics through the worldwide tour of exhibition matches they played. Even though they won all five games, they barely escaped with wins in at least three of those games. That was a necessary experience for the superteam that is this year’s Olympic roster, as it helped them realize the level at which they need to play to seal Gold.
Davis said that experience helped them realize they needed to play almost-perfect basketball to bring home the Gold medal.
“When that first game starts, it’s time to go and it counts for real. Our mistakes that we made, have been corrected, talked about, watched in film. So now, we have to play almost perfect basketball, mistake-free basketball, if we want to win a gold medal.”
Davis has been living up to what he said, with many believing he’s been their best player so far this summer. His defensive impact is unparalleled, with no other playing having the size and movement ability that Davis has to guard any player at any point of the court.
Bam Adebayo has made waves for his defense, but Adebayo isn’t the same bonafide rim protector that Davis is. With the FIBA rule set, a dominant defensive presence in the interior is needed and Davis has proven to be exactly that for Team USA. He has convincingly outplayed Embiid and has formed a devastating partnership with Adebayo.
Perfect basketball isn’t an easy goal to achieve, but the USA has been noticeably better since their first Olympic matchup against Serbia. Davis has played a huge role in ensuring their dominance and will continue to do so in the elimination rounds.