Team USA inches closer to finding identity as Rio Olympics near

CHICAGO — “No, we didn’t score well tonight.”

Kevin Durant made it clear that hot shooting and electric offense won’t define this Team USA team, emphasizing that defense and effort will give the team the backbone it needs to win Olympic gold once again this summer.

“We’ve been trying to find our (offensive) rhythm and also play great defense,” Durant said after an 80-45 exhibition win against Venezuela on Friday night that saw the Americans shoot the ball 16% from beyond the arc. “Coach is not going to scream because our shots didn’t go in.”

And he won’t.

Team USA is 'by far' closest it's ever been ahead of Rio Games

“We don’t want to just hit 17 three-pointers and not work hard,” Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “You can play really good defense, and you can rebound every night. It’s about effort. Our guys keep giving us that effort.”

With Team USA’s first game in the Rio Olympics against China a week away and only one more exhibition game before heading to Brazil, its LeBron James-less and Stephen Curry-less identity is starting to take shape. There’s been a significant adjustment period — to the international style of play, to a basketball “with a lot more panels on it” that’s been giving players fits, and of course, meshing together as a unit. But the team bond has become a driving force with the development on the court.

“I’m really pleased with our great camaraderie,” Durant said. “We love playing together. We’re out there supporting each other and becoming a tight core group. Our rotations are not really developed yet but we’ve only been together for two weeks. The great thing is there are no egos here.”

Durant and his new Golden State Warriors teammates Draymond Green and Klay Thompson provide a “super team” punch, but the leadership of four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony has been the key ingredient to the team’s chemistry, according to Krzyzewski.

Kyrie Irving emerging as star on and off the court

Venezuela coach Nestor Garcia said Anthony is the most difficult player to prepare for by far.

“He shoots like a 2-guard and posts up like a 5 guard,” Garcia said of Anthony. “He’s a leader. And he’s a killer.”

In the exhibition contests leading up to Rio, Team USA coaches have emphasized the process, with each opponent offering a different area for the Americans to grow.

“This is a prime example,” said Anthony, who was just 2-for-10 from the field against Venezuela. “We were trying to hold this team to 40 points.”

Kyrie Irving, Team USA’s starting point guard, is one of four NBA champions on the roster and said while he’s the second youngest player, his recent title with the Cleveland Cavaliers has catapulted him into a role he feels comfortable with.

“This is what I’ve been preparing for my entire life,” Irving said.

Jimmy Butler, playing before his home crowd Bulls fans, also struggled to find an offensive rhythm on Friday — going 2-for-8 from the floor, but finished the game with a punctuating slam dunk off a tip pass from Kyle Lowry.

Team USA only needs to tap the ball three times to score a full-court fast break dunk

The play had the stadium going wild, as well as the teammates on the bench.

“You see us cheering on the bench, we want to see everyone do well. That’s what we’re about,” Durant said. “We’ve got the best players in the world, the best shooters, the best penetrators in the world. … Everybody’s a playmaker. We’re not lacking in any area.

“Shots not falling, that doesn’t really matter to us.”