This summer’s exhibition campaign has seen Team USA go undefeated, but it wasn’t for want of effort on the part of its rivals. With Miami Heat player Bam Adebayo in the lineup, Team USA managed to secure the final defensive stop as South Sudan pulled off a thrilling victory. US Team prevailed 101–100.
Bam had trouble early in the match. At the beginning of the second quarter, he had three fouls. It is noteworthy to mention that FIBA regulations need only five fouls, in contrast to the NBA where a player is out at six fouls.
Even with Team USA’s talent, it is obvious that they cannot afford to play sloppily. The team’s problems with turnover persisted. In the first half, South Sudan shot more than 50% from the field, while their defense was ineffective. Adebayo’s absence for the whole of the second quarter did not assist with that. Despite being 40 points favorites to win, Team USA fell behind South Sudan 58-44 at the half.
Bam corrected his errors in the second half. Anthony Edwards, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, and Anthony Davis were his starting lineup for the second half. Prior to the starters coming back and helping Team USA retake the lead, this unit had narrowed the margin to five points.
Adebayo’s influence in this exhibition was not as great as it was when he played Serbia. His final stats were a meager two points and one rebound. Nonetheless, he played a crucial defensive role in the second half and in the closing seconds of the game to help Team USA win. In the future, Bam’s performance will have to improve for the squad to stay out of circumstances like this one, where they truly had a chance to lose.