There was plenty of panic going around after Zach LaVine and Team USA lost their first two exhibition games ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. To be fair, they were brutal losses even without Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, with horrific defense and a lot of one-on-one offense dragging Team USA down.
LaVine himself was nothing to write home about in the losses to Nigeria and Australia. He suffered an early ankle injury against Nigeria before returning to the game and finishing with 10 points, two rebounds and an assist in 21 minutes. He missed a clutch free throw late after a bungled possession and then missed the second one intentionally, but to no avail in a 90-87 loss.