We’ve been seeing the highlights and the practice footage for weeks now, and finally, we got to see Team USA in action before the FIBA World Cup in a couple weeks. Friday night marked the beginning of a month-long campaign by USA Basketball to once again conquer the world. This time with a roster of mostly unknown players.
Currently, Team USA is in the middle of reducing their current roster of 15 players down to 12 for the actual tournament, so these scrimmages and exhibitions against other international teams in the next couple weeks will prove to be vital as this team decides which direction to go in before tournament play begins in China.
As I said, this roster is filled with mostly borderline stars and players that many NBA fans will know – but not many casual fans. Here’s who was on the roster heading into Friday night’s exhibition. I’ll just list the actual roster with players who have a chance to go to China and compete for the World Cup:
Jaylen Brown
Khris Middleton
Myles Turner
Donovan Mitchell
Kemba Walker
De’Aaron Fox
Kyle Kuzma
Jayson Tatum
Brook Lopez
Joe Harris
Harrison Barnes
Mason Plumlee
PJ Tucker
Marcus Smart
Derrick White
That’s 15 players fighting for 12 spots. I’ll get into who I think will make the cuts and who showed out after we go over the biggest takeaways so just stay put for now as we go over the five biggest takeaways I had from Friday’s scrimmage.
Before we actually do that though, let’s go over three things. First: what I look for when I am watching a game like this. I look for two things.
1. I ask myself: how will this team fit together in competitive play. What role which each player play? Who will be the leaders? Basically I ask myself the macro questions about how the team is constructed.
2. The next thing I try to watch for is this. How do each of these players look after an offseason of training? What have they improved on? What will they bring to their NBA teams? This is my micro look. What has changed for them? For example, Klye Kuzma had a higher release on his jump shot this game which leads me to believe he’s been tweaking his shooting mechanics this offseason.
The next thing to go over are the rules. FIBA play differentiates from NBA play in a few different ways. The international game is more physical than the NBA. Also reach-in fouls are called way more often and illegal screens aren’t called at all. Basically the opposite of what happens in the NBA. Here is the list of the additional rules that are relevant to us (this was taken via NBATV).
Fortunately, Team USA’s roster is loaded with fundamentally sound defensive players who all move their feet well: Mitchell, Lowry, Smart, Tucker, Fox, White, and Brown are just some of the players that come to mind off the top of my head. Their guard play, on the defensive side of the ball, is definitely the best in the world.
Finally, an important factor when constructing your team is this. Who will you be playing? What do the opposing rosters look like? Team USA is constantly in turnover because of the demands of an NBA schedule and other player obligations. That’s why it is essential Team USA has such a massive bench to call up. This way they can matchup against every other international team whose rosters are often much more solidified.
Here are team USA’s five major opponents and roadblocks they’ll probably have to face on their way to the World Cup Title.
1) Greece
They have Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Antetokounmpo, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo. This means they have length. This also means that they have the reigning MVP on their team – something Team USA has never had to deal with before.
2) Serbia
Home of the 4th finalist in the MVP voting this season, Nikola Jokic, this team runs through him and the US will need to shut down Jokic to get past Serbia.
3) Slovenia
They have two good guards you may have heard of: Goran Dragic and Luka Doncic. Luka is the Rookie of the Year, but besides him and Dragic, there isn’t anyone else on Slovenia’s roster to be afraid of. So these three teams above all have one or two stars. Nothing that should worry the USA too much though. The next couple teams have some pretty stacked rosters that could cause problems.
4) Australia
They are a huge team down low which players like Jonah Bolden, Aaron Baynes, and Andre Bogut on their front line. Their defensive wings are just as physical and tough to score on with players like Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, and Joe Ingles rounding out their rotations. They also have Australian players who you have never heard of but can compete with this roster. This team will be a real test for Team USA as well. No Ben Simmons really limits the ceiling of this team during the 2019 Cup, but if Ben Simmons competes for them during the Olympics then Australia will have a legitimate shot to win the entire thing.
5) Spain
The team that has given us the most trouble for over a decade now. With All-Stars like Marc Gasol on their roster, Spain is a team that has been playing together since the mid-2000s and they all have great chemistry together. Additionally, this is probably their last real run together because of age so this team has all the reason in the world to give the USA their best shot. Their roster consists of players like Ricky Rubio, Segio Llull, Rudy Fernandez, Nikola Mirotic, and both Hernangomez brothers. Their team has some elite big men on it which will be cause problems down low for Team USA.
6) Other notable international players
Dennis Schroder and Moe Wagner play for Germany. Jonas Valancunias and Damontis Sabonis both play for Lithuania. Nigeria has some solid wings in Josh Okogie, OG Anunoby, Al-Farouq Aminu, KZ Okpala, along with Semi Ojeleye down low.
That’s basically everything you needed to know going into the scrimmage Friday. So what are some takeaways from the game itself? Who stood out? What style of play will the US implement? How’s their chemistry developing? These are some things I paid attention to.
Takeaways
1) Kemba Walker is the motor of Team USA and his play will dictate their success
From tip-off, Kemba Walker was pushing the pace, making quick passes and cuts, and looking for opportunities to get teammates involved. Like I said before, Team USA is smaller than most other international countries, so they need to use that to their advantage. Their athletes are better than any other country so their key to success is getting out ahead of teams quickly and then sustaining their lead.
Unlike in the past, their shooting also isn’t great, so if the US goes down 10-15 points, they could struggle to make a comeback.
Couple that with the fact that international play allows defensive zones without a 3-second violation, teams will test the United States’ shooting. If their shots aren’t falling (which will happen at least once this tournament) then the US will need to rely on their transition game and defense to get them ahead. There’s no Kevin Durant or Carmelo Anthony who they can throw the ball to and have them get a bucket without any ball movement. That’s why both teams were cutting and playing so much like the San Antonio Spurs. Besides Gregg Popovich being the coach, like the Spurs, Team USA will need to score off of ball movement, not shot creation.
If it came down to it and the USA needed a last second bucket to win, I believe Kemba Walker will be the guy to make that happen. Donovan Mitchell is second and Jayson Tatum has that potential but I wouldn’t trust him yet.
In terms of NBA takeaways, this form of Kemba is what I think we will see in Brad Steven’s offense for the Celtics. We also saw Donovan Mitchell play off the ball a lot while make some nice catch and shoot plays. This is what we can expect more of from him when Mike Conley Jr comes to Utah this season.
2) The team chemistry isn’t there yet, but that’s okay
Both the White Team and Blue Team had some bad passes and some guys ran into each other during some plays, but nothing unusual or alarming happened. One thing that did bother me a bit was when players treated this scrimmage like an All-Star game – not like a serious game that will help make Team USA better. Two examples of this came to mind for me. The first play was when Kyle Kuzma grabbed a defensive rebound, dribbled down the court, and took a bad hook shot that was from about 12 feet out and not even close. There was no ball movement and it looked like a bad shot from an All-Star game.
That can’t happen during the actual World Cup games. Next was a play during the second half by Jayson Tatum. He made a terrible cross-court pass that was easily intercepted by the weak-side defender. It was just an overall bad play and Popp hates cross-court passes, even when Manu Ginobli attempted and completed them. So just a few mental errors and lapses in judgment stood out to me. Besides those things though, this is what a scrimmage is for – working out the flaws for a real game.
3) Team USA was running some big lineups. Basically the opposite of what the NBA is doing.
Here are two lineups both teams ran for a stretch on Friday.
White: Jarrett Allen, John Collins, Torrey Craig, Pat Connaughton, and Derrick White
Blue: Bam Adebayo, Thaddeus Young, Jayson Tatum, Khris Middleton, and De’Aaron Fox
Both of these lineups have tons of size and ball handling ability so that anyone can grab a rebound take two dribbles and make an outlet pass for a quick layup or three on the other end of the floor. This is the fine balance Team USA will have to strike. Playing small ball in the NBA doesn’t have too many consequences because pretty much every team goes small but playing small internationally can get you killed on the offensive glass. This is where players like Plumlee, Turner and Barnes are so important.
They can score on offense, but also either defend up or down depending on the opposing personnel. Even though the big men aren’t usually the biggest names on the USA roster, they are always on the team and they always play an important role. Just look at the most recent history of USA big men: Anthony Davis, Kevin Love, Tyson Chandler, DeAndre Jordan, and Draymond Green. All of their abilities to run the floor and dive to the rim changed the dynamics of Team USA’s offense was they went undefeated tournament after tournament.
4) Although there aren’t any superstars on this roster, this team is still stacked.
There are three things to remember on this front. First thing, although there aren’t any household names on this team, there are still 7 players who averaged over 15 points per game last year and 12 of the 15 players competing for spots were all important players on playoff teams last season. They are all great competitors and know how to win.
Second thing. Some of these players will take the next step either this season or during this tournament so when we look back on it. This team will appear even more stacked than it is now. Just like Kevin Durant in Turkey in 2010, some young player will emerge and make a name for themselves during this tournament.
Third thing. Superstars come out for the Olympics more than the World Cup. There’s a very good chance that this team will be completely different next year if players like James Harden and Kevin Durant decide to return and help compete for a Gold Medal. Like I said though. Some of the players out there on Friday are borderline All-Stars and borderline superstars. We could have a very different point of view regarding this team when the reconvene next summer.
5) There were many good players out there, but five stood out among the rest. Here are the top five players from Friday in order:
a. De’Aaron Fox
He came in off the bench, grabbed a couple rebounds, had a pick-off steal, and then slammed the ball home on the other side of the court. For a game without a lot of highlights, Fox had one of the bigger ones. He also showed that he belonged out there on the USA Blue Team.
b. Kemba Walker
I said it already, but I’ll just recap quickly. He set the tempo for the game. Every minute he was on the court, the ball was moving. He decision making was quick and led his team to a blowout over the USA White Team.
c. Jayson Tatum
His jump shot looked quicker and smoother than it did last season. He also only had one bad pull-up jump shot from mid-range. His catch and shoot game looked like it did from his rookie season, and he ran the floor well on offense.
d. Derrick White
His play was good enough Friday to promote him to the Blue team, and he deserved the promotion. His defense and athleticism are a need for a team that is looking to run in transition. He may not make the final roster because he lacks elite shooting, but he is a serviceable guard to replace Kyle Lowry whose hand hasn’t healed the way he’s hoped for.
e. Pat Connaughton
He crossed up Joe Harris and made him look silly. He was also handling the ball way more than he did with Milwaukee last year. He’s really come a long way since being a second-round pick from Notre Dame. If the skills he displayed on Friday carry over into next season, then maybe the Bucks won’t miss Malcolm Brogdon like I thought they would.
Cuts and the roster going forward
Thaddeus Young and Bam Adebayo were cut this weekend and Marvin Bagley withdrew in order to prepare for the upcoming season.
So here is the current roster once again going into their exhibition against Spain on Friday:
Starters:
Kemba Walker
Donovan Mitchell
Jayson Tatum
Khris Middleton
Brook Lopez
Bench:
Jaylen Brown
De’Aaron Fox
Myles Turner
Mason Plumlee
Derrick White
Harrison Barnes
Marcus Smart
Joe Harris
Kyle Kuzma
They need to cut the roster down to 12 and these are the players that are safe (in my opnion)
1. Kemba Walker
2. Donovan Mitchell
3. Jayson Tatum
4. Khris Middleton
5. Brook Lopez
6. Jaylen Brown
7. De’Aaron Fox
8. Harrison Barnes
9. Joe Harris
This puts these plays on the edge of making the cut: Mason Plumlee, Kyle Kuzma, Marcus Smart, Myles Turner, and Derrick White.
I think all of these players have a good case to make it – and if not for Smart’s health – he’d be a lock to make the team as its constructed.
My ideal roster has size, yet speed so they can run while playing physical defense. They need shooting to play against zones by both attacking them and spreading them out via shooting. They also need a shot creator. If you noticed, each of the players on the border fill all of those roles. It’ll come down to Team USA’s priorities and how well each of the other players play up until three days before the World Cup.
Team USA’s next game is Friday against Spain. Marc Gasol didn’t play in Spain’s last game against Lithuania, but I fully expect him to play Friday. This will be a great test and show us a whole lot regarding team USA’s chances of winning the whole thing.
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**Image found via NBA.com**