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Team USA's 80-45 trouncing of Venezuela in Friday's exhibition game was not exactly exhilarating. It was billed as a "USA Basketball Showcase," but if this was an advertisement for what's to come this summer, it was an ineffective one.

Obviously, Team USA was the far more talented team here. Venezuela's lone NBA player, Greivis Vasquez of the Brooklyn Nets, was in the building but did not play -- earlier in the day, Vasquez withdrew from the Olympic Games in order to continue rehabilitating from an ankle injury. As such, the Americans did not have to play anything close to their best game to blow out these particular opponents.

In Team USA's first three exhibition games, they beat Argentina 111-74, then beat China 106-57 and 107-57. Those games were laughers, too, but they were fun and full of highlights. For Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen and Dwyane Wade sitting courtside at the United Center, and for the viewers on NBA TV and USA Basketball's Facebook page, this was a bit of a disappointment. Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson led the team in scoring with a whopping 13 points apiece, and the two biggest stars on the team, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant, combined to score 16 points on 19 shots.

Still, it's hard to argue with results! Despite looking a bit bored, Team USA won in a rout. Let's keep things positive with these takeaways:

1. There were two great highlights, at least

Late in the fourth quarter, in true garbage time, Kyle Lowry hustled down the court to retrieve a pass tipped by Jimmy Butler. The ball looked to be going out of bounds, but Lowry saved it -- and started the most unconventional alley-oop I've seen in a while.

The crowd was looking for a reason to erupt all night, and they finally got a couple of them right at the end of the game. They freaked out when Butler, the hometown hero, slammed it home, and they did so again when DeMar DeRozan threw down a beautiful windmill almost immediately afterward.


Shoutout to DeRozan, who also tried to do a reverse 360 on a guy this week. The fans chanted "U-S-A!" after he successfully converted this one.

2. Team USA does not need to shoot well to win

It was true in this friendly, and it will be just as true in Rio: Team USA is perfectly capable of dominating even when their offense is sloppy and slow. They shot 42 percent overall and made just 4-for-25 from 3-point range -- Carmelo Anthony missed all four of his 3-point attempts, Kevin Durant missed all five of his, it was weird -- but that really didn't matter.

This isn't just because of Venezuela's comparative lack of scorers. It's because Team USA is just as stacked with great defenders as it is with playmakers. Even though this happens every two years, it has been a bit jarring to see all of these guys defending so aggressively in these tune-up games. Coach Mike Krzyzewski wants them to work on their pressure defense so they can overwhelm the opposition with their athleticism when the games count. It's most noticeable when Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry are pressuring point guards at halfcourt, but the mentality extends to the whole roster. With fewer minutes and less offensive responsibility in this setting, it is easier to go all-out defensively.

DeMarcus Cousins for Team USA
DeMarcus Cousins bullies his way to the basket. USATSI

3. Watch the glass

DeMarcus Cousins has received a lot of attention recently because he's lost weight and he looks absolutely unstoppable against international competition. No one in Rio will match his combination of power and skill in the low post, and teams won't be able to double-team him as much as they do in the NBA. Cousins' scoring isn't the only thing that makes him special here, though -- it's also notable that nobody can box him out.

Cousins had a game-high 12 rebounds, and he now has 45 in his four games with Team USA. Four of those boards against Venezuela came on the offensive glass, and the team had 21 offensive rebounds overall. This is another reason why all those missed shots weren't particularly harmful.

4. A Venezuelan to watch in Rio

The best story of the night was that John Cox, a 35-year-old guard who played for the University of San Francisco and is Kobe Bryant's cousin, had a great performance against a bunch of NBA stars. Cox, who has spent most of his professional career in France, made his first four shots of the game and finished with a game-high 14 points.

Cox even helped Venezuela take a 10-8 lead halfway through the first quarter. These games aren't meaningless for everyone.

Team USA's next exhibition game will be Monday against Nigeria in Houston.