Team USA’s run at the FIBA World Cup has come to what can fairly be described as a predictable end. In a 113-111 loss against Germany in the semifinals, its offense was stagnant, and its physicality and awareness on the defensive end were nonexistent. (Quick sidebar: I knew the team was in trouble a couple of minutes into the game, when Daniel Theis strolled into an open dunk against a unit that didn’t know what coverage it was supposed to execute against an empty corner pick-and-roll.)
The United States players were on their heels in transition and consistently unable to match up properly. They struggled to keep Germany’s ball handlers (i.e., Dennis Schröder) out of the paint. They turned down the extra pass in favor of too many one-on-one situations (and then, in a late-game situation when Anthony Edwards actually needed to launch a pull-up 3, he threw it behind an unsuspecting Jaren Jackson Jr., who was diving into the paint instead of popping out to the perimeter). They fouled 3-point shooters, bit on pump fakes, and allowed the Germans to shoot a whopping 57.7 percent from the floor.
Team USA wasn’t worked too badly on the glass (Montenegro grabbed 23 offensive rebounds against them earlier in the tournament!) but was still vulnerable more often than a disciplined basketball team should be. Theis, who finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, was legitimately unstoppable for stretches.
USA’s full-court press was chopped up. Its half-court defense was predictable and placid. Austin Reaves was cooked in the post and targeted in ball screens. Mikal Bridges somehow took only seven shots. It remains unclear to me why Tyrese Haliburton wasn’t in the starting lineup, if for no other reason than that it would have allowed Steve Kerr to stagger Jalen Brunson and Edwards more, especially with Brandon Ingram sidelined by an upper respiratory issue. But alas, they lost by a basket.
All this criticism is true and, to people who believe international disappointment for Team USA necessitates urgent self-evaluation, feels like a setback. I am not one of those people. The meaning of this loss isn’t very interesting to me. Sure, the most talented team didn’t play as well as it could’ve or should’ve. Some of the lineups were wonky (I know Brunson kept fouling shooters, but why wasn’t he in the closing five?), and the lack of cohesion this late in a monthslong tournament was notable. Still, it’s all in a small sample size, with different rules and new teammates, within a flawed, undersized roster that wasn’t built with an ability to mutate and solve problems.
Also: Germany is undefeated for a reason! The team has several spunky NBA players, a ton of size, 3-point shooting, and attitude. USA, meanwhile, sent its (über-talented) JV squad. Good for Germany. (And good for Serbia, who beat Canada earlier this morning.)
Instead, taking in the FIBA World Cup as a whole, I watch these games with the NBA on my mind. How will this experience affect Player X’s upcoming season? What am I learning about certain guys in this environment, removed from their day job and placed within a context that demands sacrifice and necessitates pride? Roles expand and contract; confidence swells and shrinks.
Sometimes, World Cup action provides a fun reminder of what someone can still do when healthy and comfortable (see: Bogdan Bogdanovic), a glimpse at the next step on a terrifying trajectory (see: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), or confirmation of an all-time-great player’s all-time greatness (see: Daniel Theis).
It can be a precursor of what’s to come, be it growth or stagnation. Or it can be nothing at all. Lackluster play from Ingram and Jackson shouldn’t be cause for concern in New Orleans or Memphis, but those organizations probably wish they had seen the All-Stars they’re used to watching. There were phases when Germany appeared to hunt JJJ, who had a poor game. (At the very least, whether it was because of the team’s own hubris or a strategic attempt to put a notoriously foul-prone player into foul trouble, Germany wasn’t intimidated by the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year.)
Edwards led Team USA in scoring and was clearly its best player. He’ll also eventually read the game with more decisiveness than he did in this tournament. He can easily still develop into the type of playmaking virtuoso who averages an efficient 28 points, seven assists, and five boards a game. His defense was really good and shouldn’t be overlooked as one of the traits that makes him so exciting (particularly on the ball). Reaves’s shotmaking was a late spark, even as his individual defense prevented Team USA from getting any timely stops.
But in the end, going back to what this tournament means from a national program’s perspective, the World Cup isn’t the Olympics. When a roster that has LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green, and (hopefully?) Steph Curry on it loses, then people can be hypercritical and wonder how it all went wrong. Until then, congrats to Serbia and Germany. This wasn’t Team USA’s medal to win.
