Nigeria, 2021, and a disbelieving USA basketball team. Three years on from that shocking defeat in an Olympic exhibition game, those cheering Team USA were having nightmarish flashbacks. With a mere 20 seconds left on the clock, South Sudan were heading for a monumental upset. But LeBron James’ lay-up with eight seconds to go saved USA’s blushes. But it hasn’t spared them criticism from a former NBA star.

The penultimate exhibition game in London nearly ended in disaster for the American locker room. The squad, filled with former MVPs, champions, scoring leaders, and young superstars, struggled to get past South Sudan.  The final score, 101-100, was decided by LeBron James‘ game-winner late in the fourth quarter.

USA’s struggles against the nation ranked 33rd in the world, didn’t go down well with former Washington Wizards player Gilbert Arenas. Speaking on his No Chill Gil podcast on July 21, he pointed out that the defending Olympic champions nearly lost to a team that lacked the riches enjoyed by those in the USA camp.

“They use leftover shoes that the USA Team didn’t want, ‘Ya’ll can use these’. They don’t even have basketball rims dawg. I seen (Manute Bol), he had to walk an hour and a half to go shoot basketball. 25 miles for a basketball rim. That is crazy! We losing to people who don’t even, they got baskets in the back. They shooting on f*****g peach baskets in dirt, no shoes. And they damn near almost took us… They got no indoor court, nothing, they don’t have nothing. I know Bron was mad as hell, he had to turn it on man.”, said Arenas.

The contrast between the two teams couldn’t be starker. USA’s team has 12 players, all of them All-Stars or NBA champions or both, with a total of 189,038 points in their regular-season careers. Compared to this, South Sudan have only four players who have appeared in an NBA game. and have scored a combined 1,228 points and started 19 games.

Yet, they took the game to their more illustrious opponents and nearly pulled off a historic win. Marial Shayok scored a game-high 25 points for South Sudan and Charlotte Hornets forward JT Thor hit a three-pointer to put his side 100-99 ahead late on and within reach of a win.

They impressively led 58-42 in the second quarter before taking a 14-point lead into the break. Moreover, in the first half, they hit 61% of their shots, while the USA only made one three-pointer. The two teams will meet again in the Olympics on 31 July, and this performance will have them sniffing blood. For a nation that gained independence only 13 years ago, being at the Olympics is in itself a massive achievement. But what does this performance mean for Team USA?

Going for a fifth consecutive men’s basketball gold medal in Paris, they have shown indifferent form. They have won all four of their pre-Olympic exhibition games, but it hasn’t been easy. They survived a close encounter against Australia before seeing them off 98-92 in Abu Dhabi on July 15, before getting away with it against South Sudan.

In fact, South Sudan came agonizingly close as Carlik Jones’ runner off the glass missed with about 4 seconds left. These warning signs haven’t gone unnoticed in the USA camp.

Speaking after the game, the Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards said, “The match was super important because we feel like we can’t be beaten and they showed us we can be beat.”

The game did serve as a wakeup call for Team USA who will be the team to beat in Paris. Coach Steve Kerr said the team were “embarrassed” at half-time and needed to realize that the game has gotten better across the globe. Kerr also took responsibility for the performance saying that the team wasn’t well prepared for their opponents and what to expect. But it looks like that won’t be the case in their next clash. Meanwhile, match-winner LeBron James also had his say on the narrow win.

“I’m going to be honest: I like those better than the blowouts. At least we get tested,” James said as he walked off the court. But was this ever expected to be a test against a team that was pinned as 43.5-point underdogs, according to BetMGM Sportsbook?

There is no doubt Team USA will have to improve as they take on Germany in their last exhibition game. Perhaps a dominant showing there could restore confidence among the fans. But what will they have to change in order to ensure there are no such scares?

How can the USA Basketball squad improve?

This isn’t Team USA’s first time going through such a game. Back in 2021, when KD and Lillard led the team, they lost to Nigeria 90-87 in an exhibition game. It was the first time ever an African nation had beaten the USA. Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, and Bam Adebayo were among those representing USA.

But then again, the current lineup has Steph, LeBron, AD, and others. So what needs to change? Firstly, if the team ever has a meeting about this game, the rotations need to be analyzed further. During the first half, the order of substitutions wasn’t unique. Instead of the starting five, JT, Haliburton, AD, and others took control. In short, there wasn’t any combination that the team could explore.

Moreover, Embiid‘s role in the starting lineup has been questioned for a while. Steve Kerr might consider replacing him with AD or Anthony Edwards. Secondly, the squad needs to be more attentive while defending the paint.

Switching to a big-man lineup wouldn’t always work unless there is someone like Bam or AD in the paint along with James. These changes might make a difference as the USA Basketball team looks forward to playing Germany. While there were no expectations from South Sudan, the Germans might be a bigger threat.

It will be interesting to see whether LeBron and company improve on the defensive end for the final exhibition game. What are your thoughts on the game against South Sudan? Do you think the Germans will be as competitive? Let us know in the comments.