PARIS, France — As the United States gears up to face France in the Olympic final with a gold medal hanging in the balance, the potential lineups for both teams have drawn significant attention. Each coaching staff member must take whatever action is necessary to get the best out of their group.

According to one major sportsbook, the United States is a 14.5-point favorite entering the matchup. It is coming off a 17-point comeback victory over a Serbia team led by Nikola Jokić and Bogdan Bogdanović.

For the United States, not playing Jayson Tatum for meaningful minutes has become a lightning rod of criticism. However, one adjustment garnering significant attention is the reported plan to start Kevin Durant, who has been coming off the bench throughout the Olympics. Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to report the move, which will result in Jrue Holiday coming off the bench.

Durant dealt with a calf strain that sidelined him for the entire five-game preparation schedule, resulting in the coaching staff adjusting the original plan to start him. He made an epic return to the lineup in Team USA’s Olympic opener, scoring a team-high 23 points against Serbia before that first and only miss late in the third quarter. He’s averaged 13.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per game. He’s achieved these results while shooting a staggering 56.9% from the floor, 61.1% from the perimeter, and 92.9% on free throws.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr admitted that given how Durant has thrived in his bench role since returning from injury, it’s created a complicated set of circumstances to find minutes for Tatum.“It’s not about anything Jayson is doing or not doing,” Kerr told reporters during a Zoom call on Saturday. “It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything.” He added that finding minutes for more than 10 players in a 40-minute game is not feasible, “Like I’ve said many times during this tournament and this last six weeks, it’s just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game.”

The United States is willing to make drastic game-by-game lineup changes based on the matchup they face. Joel Embiid has been an instrumental contributor over the past three games but received a DNP-CD against South Sudan. Will Durant’s move into the starting lineup make room for Tatum to step into the second unit? That’ll certainly be something to monitor, considering France has embraced playing physical wings while having one of Victor Wembanyama or Rudy Gobert on the court at all times. France’s strategy will undoubtedly impact how the Americans approach the game.

Will Rudy Gobert start or come off the bench?

France head coach Vincent Collet has not been reluctant to make bold changes in the team’s two previous games. Guershon Yabusele has been slotted next to Victor Wembanyama in the starting lineup instead of Rudy Gobert to maximize floor spacing. The team has also brought Evan Fournier off the bench while starting Isaïa Cordinier, who has averaged 18.0 points as a starter, for a more defensive-minded group. It has worked well, resulting in two victories, but will it continue?

Gobert has played a total of nine minutes in France’s previous two games, with the French coaching staff being left with the impression that spacing has improved in a needed way. “With Guerschon [Yabusele] instead of Rudy [Gobert], we have more space to play in offense,” Collet explained it’s easier for the defense to help against Wembanyama with Gobert on the court. “With Rudy in the paint, the defenses could help more. It put more defensive pressure on Victor [Wembanyama]. Guerschon brings size in offense, so they had to focus on him. That is what gave us more spacing.”

The priority for France is to maximize Wembanyama’s impact however they can as he continues to get acclimated to the highest level of FIBA competition. “Victor is only discovering FIBA basketball at a very high level,” Collet stated before adding, “He is adapting. In the last two games, he has been very valuable in defense, and on the rebounds. We do not always realize his impact.” Collet added the importance of having a player like Wembanyama who can draw double teams and find openings created by it. “There were several small openings where he found himself doubled by the defense. And despite everything, he handled these situations very well. He is probably one of the only players who can do it, even if Rudy is perhaps the second.”

Collet was not ready to show his hand before facing the United States, hinting that different matchups could lead to different lineup choices. “Obviously, Rudy would prefer to play more. But clearly, for the moment, this adjustment allowed us to play better in these two games,” he acknowledged but explained a different strategy could be deployed next. “But on the other hand, the cards can be very redistributed on Saturday. Different matchups, with teams with different profiles.”

The United States is ready for a battle against France, regardless of what lineups or rotations are deployed against them. “France has been playing great. I think they made rotation changes after pool play,” Stephen Curry said. “I know it is going to be a battle. But I think we will be locked in and focus on the strategy and gameplay. And being the killers that we are throughout the tournament.”

Regardless of France’s approach, the United States must make a better effort than to trail by double figures early in the game. With so much motivation to make history on their soil as the host nation, the French faced what Wembanyama described as being “the opportunity of a lifetime” to win a first-ever gold medal in these circumstances.

Team USA is preparing to receive France’s best punch

Given that the French crowd has already factored into the United States Olympic experience in the form of Joel Embiid, spurning them to play for Team USA despite obtaining a French passport in 2022, the crowd will only factor in as a bigger element. The Bercy Arena crowd getting a reaction out of Embiid or throwing off his teammates could lead to the ultimate prize.

After observing as a member of the crowd, Team USA is ready for what could be one of the most electric atmospheres any of them will have played or coached in during their careers. “The crowd was incredible,” Kerr said. “Everybody was just bouncing around, and I literally took my phone out and I videoed the crowd because it was so special just to see the energy and the enthusiasm. And obviously it’ll be even louder Saturday night, and I can’t wait. I think it’s going to be one of the most fun games I’ll ever be a part of.”

Stephen Curry, who scored 36 points with nine made three-pointers against Serbia, put it simply: Team USA must expect the best game of France’s life, given the circumstances. “You expect them to play the game of their lives. They are going to have the homecourt advantage and we expect them to be great. We expect that from ourselves as well.” Kerr also added that quite a few players tend to “turn into Superman in FIBA” and his group must prepare to set the tone defensively by playing with “a better defensive edge and more physicality.”

In a single-elimination environment, the United States cannot settle into the circumstances like one may be accustomed to doing in the NBA playoffs, where a seven-game series is the norm. “It is different in the Playoffs because you know a team well after seven games; there is a familiarity there,” Stephen Curry stated, “Against Serbia, the way we were playing, the in-game adjustment in the end, that was different.” Curry added the focus on what’s ahead by curating a plan focused on the task at hand, “The challenge is to turn the page and prepare for a team we have not played.”

France is confident in their outlook after defeating the United States in 2019 during the FIBA World Cup and challenging them in the Olympic final at the Tokyo Games in 2021. “We beat the USA in 2019. We were fighting against them in Tokyo,” Fournier said, “We have been good.”

If the United States proves successful, it’ll mark the fifth consecutive gold medal for the program as a potential transitional period lies ahead with talents like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry possibly playing in their final Olympic run.

Team USA faces France on Saturday, August 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET/ 12:30 p.m. PT. at the Accor Arena.