Friday night saw the end of a very entertaining men's basketball competition at the Olympic Games in Paris. Team USA might have won gold as most predicted they would, but the manner in which they did so was anything but straightforward.
If not for the late game heroics of Stephen Curry against France - as well as fighting back from a 15 point deficit in the semi-final contest versus Serbia - this could have ended in devasating fashion for Team USA. The relief as time expired palpable across the court.
They didn't need to worry though, as Devin Booker's three words predicted this success one year ago.
This summer in Paris has done Booker's personal stock the world of good. Not only did he start in the Olympics, he was also out there closing games when it really mattered as well. A far cry from Jayson Tatum - who was a DNP in the semi-final and barely featured in the final - or the happy to be here Tyrese Haliburton.
When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A🏅 pic.twitter.com/xpshYZhMyA
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) August 10, 2024
Booker also finished with 15 points in the gold medal game, which would have been tied for a team high with Suns' teammate Kevin Durant if not for the late game explosion of Curry. Really he was everything Team USA needed - on both ends of the court no less - leading to a new name for his style of play being born as the tournament progressed.
But if you cast your mind back to the World Cup last year - when Team USA finished in fourth position - Booker actually predicted then that he could and would be everything the team needed at the Olympics. With Germany lifting the trophy and the bat signal going up that Anthony Edwards needed more help, Booker's response to Kyle Kuzma of all people was the first step on the road to gold.
I’ll do it https://t.co/77PBGNEQ0W
— Book (@DevinBook) September 12, 2023
Playing a role is exactly what Booker did, and he performed wonderfully. He didn't care that it was Curry who went atomic across the final two games to get them over the line, and he never looked like he cared about offensive stats either.
Really it was his defensive play which deserves the most plaudits, but is likey to get lost in the shuffle of this being Curry, Durant and LeBron James' last dance together. In the final, Booker's 10 points led the team at halftime, before settling into a more periphery role as the all-time trio came to the forefront.
If you watch the final back - or any game in Paris for that matter - Booker goes through periods where he's heavily involved in a number of possessions, before standing off to the side. A far cry from when he's in Phoenix, with everything going through a superstar who played as the team's point guard some last season as well.
If not for the attitude of Booker - and others scattered throughout this collection of talent - the outcome could have been different. But as far back as September of 2023 Booker saw the shortcomings of the World Cup squad, and was already ready to give up a ton of his summer doing whatever was required to win. Now he's a two-time gold medallist, and the best could be yet to come.