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Steve Kerr has coached against LeBron James plenty of times in the NBA, but the Golden State Warriors head coach is getting an entirely different perspective on the future Hall-of-Famer's game working with him for Team USA.
Speaking to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Kerr talked about being "blown away" by James' "effort and concentration and focus" leading up to the Olympics.
"On every single drill he talks," Kerr said. "He's even in a shootaround walkthrough his voice behind the play, yelling out what's happening, yelling out the scheme, his leadership by example. The guy is incredible and I mean I've known that forever, but to see it up close is pretty special."
James is playing on Team USA for the first time since the 2012 Olympics. He said during the 2023-24 NBA season season that he had fully committed himself to being on the U.S. squad.
"It's more miles put on these tires," said James. "But if I'm committed — which I am — to Team USA, then I'm going to commit my mind, body and soul to being out there for Team USA, representing our country with the utmost respect and go out there and play."
The results in America's three showcase games have indicated James is locked in right now. He's averaging 9.3 points on 50.0 percent shooting (11-of-22) with 2.7 assists and 2.7 assists per contest.
Kerr hasn't used James for more than 21 minutes in a game thus far. He could receive a heavier workload when the Olympics begin, but the U.S. team is loaded with talent that there are no shortage of options to choose from.
One thing that Kerr has done in these tune-up games is tinker with his starting lineup, except for three spots. James, Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid have been in the starting five in all three games.
Kevin Durant's return to practice on Friday after missing two weeks with a strained calf adds another starting option for Kerr to choose from when he's ready to play in games.
James is going to be the leader of this team by virtue of his status as a legend and facilitator on the court. He's still capable of taking over as a scorer when he wants to, but players like Curry, Durant, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards can take some of the pressure off his shoulders.
The United States will play two games at O2 Arena in London against South Sudan on Saturday and Germany on Monday before traveling to Paris for the start of the Olympics.
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