Team USA men’s basketball vs. Serbia: Why Devin Booker was an unsung hero in Americans’ comeback

Team USA’s biggest questions entering the 2024 Paris Olympics was which lineups would work best. The starters, the backups, everything in between. But they had to start with the starters, and Kevin Durant’s calf opened a second spot in the starting lineup alongside Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Jrue Holiday filled one, his fantastic on-ball defense a perfect complement to Curry in the backcourt. The fifth spot was up for debate with plenty of marvelous options: Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards.

Booker won out. After floating in and out of the starting lineup as Team USA toyed and tinkered and tried to keep everyone fresh during the team’s pre-Olympic showcase, Booker has not only started in the Olympics but playing well. He’s had to adjust to being the fourth and sometimes fifth option when he’s so used to being the first or second. But among the plethora of stars who could play a key supporting role, he has emerged as one of the most consistent.

While starting is nice, you really find out who the team trusts based on the finishing lineup. Fittingly, when Team USA was in its most dire straits Thursday against Serbia, Booker got the call alongside Curry, James, Durant and Embiid and delivered.

Booker won’t get the biggest headlines. Curry played one of the finest games of his illustrious career, bar none, and finished with 36 points, one point short of Carmelo Anthony’s Team USA men’s Olympic record. Considering Curry only had 29 points total in the first four contests of these Games, it was a stunning and timely display of greatness. Embiid also broke out at the perfect time with 19 points, including seven straight in the fourth quarter. Durant and James both delivered crucial buckets late.

But it was Booker who was an unsung hero for his efforts on both ends.

In the fourth quarter, Team USA extended its defense against point guard Vasilije Micic, with Booker drawing that assignment. It wasn’t true on-ball pressure, per se, but Booker was near Micic after every U.S. score, giving Team USA’s defense an extra second or two to get settled while also forcing Serbia’s offense to start later in the clock. The strategy also prevented Serbia from taking a few extra seconds off the clock by rolling the ball in play, something Nikola Jokic has mastered in the NBA.

Booker’s job wasn’t done there, of course, and he did a great job limiting Micic, who did not score or assist in the fourth quarter having eight points and three assists through three quarters. In turn, after flowing so smoothly, the Serbian attack ground to a halt and had to settle for several contested, late-clock jumpers.

Booker also had a big role in a crucial turning point early in the quarter. With Serbia up 11 with 7:19 remaining, Durant made a 3-pointer as Jokic committed a foul fighting through an Anthony Davis screen. The basket was good, and the U.S. kept possession. Booker then caught the Serbian defense, so fixated on Curry, off guard and nailed a straightaway 3-pointer. It was not only a six-point possession, but it was six points in one second.

Later in the game, when Curry stole a pass and went the other way, Booker sprinted in front of Micic and cleared the way for Curry’s layup. It was another tiny thing that simply required effort, and Booker delivered. With Curry, James, Durant and Embiid closing the game, Booker embraced doing the dirty work and making the most of limited offensive opportunities — exactly what the team needed. It’s no coincidence that Team USA was a +16 in Booker’s 24 minutes; only Curry (+20) was better.

Booker has quietly done that all Olympics. He’s averaging 11 points — highlighted by 18 in the quarterfinals against Brazil — while shooting 56% from the floor and 61% from 3 and adding 3.4 assists per game and just 0.6 turnovers per game. But it’s often the contributions outside the box score that have proved him a worthy addition to the starting and, on Thursday, closing lineups. Now, he’s one game away his second straight Olympic gold, and his country’s sixth straight.