Tokyo Olympics: Devin Booker could be the key to USA men’s basketball team as it heads into semi-final action against Australia
- The 24-year-old sharpshooter is only averaging 8.5 points per game so far at Tokyo 2020, compared to 28.2 in the NBA playoffs for the Phoenix Suns
- Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is lifting a ragtag group of Slovenians into the semi-finals as he is averaging 26.3 points per game
Having to overcome a sluggish start to defeat Spain on Tuesday, Team USA’s star-studded roster has only shown flashes of brilliance heading into Thursday’s semi-finals with a number of key players underperforming, most notably All-Star Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker.
Team USA will play an undefeated Australian squad at 12:15pm (HKT) where they will need more players firing on all cylinders to make it to the gold-medal match, and avoid a repeat of Athens 2004 when they shockingly lost to Argentina in the semi-finals.
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Booker’s play has been a cause for concern so far, as he is only averaging 8.5 points over four games in Tokyo.
Fresh off his first NBA Finals appearance, the 24-year-old sharpshooter shined in the Suns’ six-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 28.2 points, four assists and three rebounds per game. He also posted back-to-back 40-point games, becoming only the third player in NBA Finals history to notch two consecutive games with 40 points or more.
However, the Olympics have been another matter, as the Suns guard scored four points on 1-for-6 shooting in his Olympic debut against France, but bounced back in his first start in Team USA’s 120-66 blowout of Iran last Wednesday, where he finished as the squad’s second-highest scorer, collecting 16 points on an efficient 6-for-9 shooting from the field.
But he so far has displayed inconsistency in delivering a much-needed energy to boost Team USA in the games that followed. Last Saturday’s 119-84 victory over the Czech Republic saw Booker pick up his third foul less than a minute into the second half, finishing with five points on just 1-for-3 shooting in nine minutes of action off the bench. He chipped in nine points in Team USA’s victory over Spain on Tuesday, shooting 4-for-13 from the floor and 3-for-11 from three-point range.
US men’s basketball team beat Spain to advance to semi-finals
Despite his slow start, Booker has previously spoken highly about how much the opportunity to compete for an Olympic gold medal means to him.
“Very important. Life goal of mine,” Booker told ESPN in an interview. “I‘ve always said, I think it’s the most prestigious event that basketball can find. So to be a part of representing your country I think brings you to a whole other stratosphere. Just thinking of the guys that have come before us and represented our country, and I don’t think there’s anything better than winning a gold medal.”
Australia, a fiercely competitive team loaded with NBA talent of its own – most notably former San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills, who agreed to a two-year, US$12 million contract to join the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, and Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles – will surely test the USA to their limits.
Luka Doncic, meanwhile, continues to set the Olympics on fire after helping Slovenia improve to an undefeated 4-0 record after beating Germany 94-70 in their quarter-final contest. The Dallas Mavericks sensation is now 17-0 when playing with his national team.
The 22-year-old guard is the undisputed star for the Slovenes, perhaps even for this entire basketball tournament.
“When you have Luka, it’s easy. Everything’s easy,” Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic told TNS. “He’s not coming here to show off. He’s coming here to help the team, first of all. He came here to have [fun] on the court, to have fun with the guys on the court, and you’re here to use him as much as possible, to use his – let’s say – magic.”
Slovenia is set to take on France in their quarter-final match-up at 7pm (HKT). The French are led by three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum and point guard Evan Fournier, who on Tuesday agreed to a four-year, US$78 million contract with the New York Knicks.
