US forward #06 LeBron James (L) fights for the ball against Serbia’s guard #23 Marko Guduric during the Basketball Showcase friendly match between the United States and Serbia the at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

LeBron James expressed satisfaction with the progress demonstrated by Team USA in their decisive victory over Serbia in the friendly match held in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. However, he emphasized the significant potential for improvement as the team strives towards securing the Olympic gold medal.

Following a narrow victory over Australia on Monday, in which the United States nearly relinquished a 20-point advantage towards the conclusion of the encounter, the American team exhibited remarkable dominance against a Serbian squad led by Nikola Jokic.

Stephen Curry, who had a low score of only three points in the United States of America’s 98-92 victory over the Boomers, demonstrated exceptional performance on Wednesday. He initiated the scoring with his signature three-point shot on the initial play and concluded the game with a team-leading 24 points, achieving six successful shots out of nine attempts from beyond the three-point line.

“We drew it (the opening play) up for that particular reason, to get him going,” said James of Curry.

“He sees one go through the hoop, you see what it opens up for the rest of his game, for the rest of the game for all of us. He set the tone and we just tried to continue to keep finding him.”

Bam Adebayo also had a productive evening, coming off the bench to accumulate 17 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.

The Miami Heat center collaborated effectively on defense with Anthony Davis, who contributed six blocks, six rebounds, and seven points.

“Bam and AD together are really something,” US head coach Steve Kerr said.

“Just the switching, but they can also protect the rim and be in a drop if we go to that coverage.

“They’ll combine with the ball pressure that Book was putting on their point guard, I thought that really set a tone for us.”

Serbia’s forward #13 Ognjen Dobric jumps to shoot theball against US guard #15 Devin Booker during the Basketball Showcase friendly match between the United States and Serbia the at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

Serbia’s centre #15 Nikola Jokic (L) fights for the ball against US centre #11 Joel Embiid during the Basketball Showcase friendly match between the United States and Serbia the at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

The Serbian national basketball team, which suffered a defeat against Australia on Tuesday, once again found themselves without the presence of Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. Although he was present on the bench, he did not participate in the game.

Nikola Jokić, the reigning NBA MVP, managed to achieve a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. However, these efforts were insufficient to halt the formidable American team. Notably, Serbia is scheduled to face the United States once more in their opening match of the Olympic Games, which will take place in Lille, France on July 28.

“We’ve still got so much room to improve but we want to continue to get better and not waste the opportunities. I felt like tonight we got better,” said James, who is gunning for his third Olympic gold medal this summer.

 ‘Strength is team depth’

Kerr implemented a strategic adjustment to the starting lineup that faced Australia two days prior. Jayson Tatum, James, Joel Embiid, and Curry maintained their positions, while Jrue Holiday replaced Anthony Edwards.

Curry swiftly accumulated nine points within the initial two minutes of the game. Serbia responded with a surge in momentum, as Aleksa Avramovic drained consecutive three-pointers, propelling them to an early advantage of 12-9.

Kerr continued with his hockey subs pattern during these exhibition games, taking off all five starters midway through the quarter to bring in Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Davis, Adebayo, and Devin Booker.

US forward #06 LeBron James (L) fights for the ball against Serbia’s guard #23 Marko Guduric during the Basketball Showcase friendly match between the United States and Serbia the at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

US guard #04 Stephen Curry jumps to shoot the ball during the Basketball Showcase friendly match between the United States and Serbia the at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

It was Edwards who reclaimed the lead for USA, going four for four from the free throw line with 38 seconds left on the clock. Vanja Marinkovic had other ideas though, his buzzer-beating layup making sure the first quarter ended with both teams on level terms.

The collaborative efforts of Curry, Edwards, and Adebayo propelled the United States to a commanding lead, effectively neutralizing any potential threats beyond the initial quarter.

Kerr has expressed satisfaction with his current substitution strategy, which involves replacing all five starting players with a completely new second unit and alternating between these two groups every five minutes during the game.

 “I think the identity of the team is our depth, the strength of the team is the depth,” said Kerr.

“And so, if we can play in four, five-minute bursts of just playing intense defence, hitting bodies, rebounding, being physical, then it makes sense to play that way.

“We’ll see if we keep doing it but for now, it’s allowed groups to get together, AD and Bam for example, Steph and LeBron, kind of learn how to play together, having a better feel for each other.

“The strength of our team is just the depth and so if we have to play that way, we’ll play that way.”

The United States men's basketball team will travel to London for their final two exhibition games before the start of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They will face South Sudan on Saturday and the reigning world champions, Germany, on Monday.