As Team USA prepares for Olympic pool play against South Sudan, Steph Curry is emphasizing the critical mindset of “appropriate fear.”
“We know we can’t just sleepwalk through any game and feel like you’re going to win,” Curry said. “We have appropriate fear.”
Despite being newcomers to the Olympics and lacking current NBA players, South Sudan has already made an impact by defeating Puerto Rico and nearly toppling Team USA in a recent friendly match.
South Sudan pushed Team USA to the limit in their last encounter, with the Americans narrowly escaping with a 101-100 victory.
“The exhibition schedule was great because you got to figure out where we need to get better and also feel the force of teams that are coming trying to beat us,” Curry noted.
“They’re a very high-octane offense, spread the floor, shoot a lot of 3s and have athleticism. So you just got to be mindful of how to guard them. It’s totally different than Serbia.”
The Americans know they must bring their best effort to secure a spot in the quarterfinals and continue their quest for Olympic gold.
“We’ll be much better prepared [Wednesday], but that doesn’t guarantee anything,” Team USA head coach Steve Kerr added.