Despite having a plethora of NBA talent on their roster, Team USA failed to live up to the expectations. Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was at their best, but still, one man cannot win on his own.
Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. got exposed throughout the entire tournament, Jalen Brunson couldn’t get a stop in the perimeter, and the coaching staff’s reluctance to make adjustments doomed this team.
When asked about what went wrong, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted that their lack of defensive prowess put them in a tough spot, especially down the stretch.
Steve Kerr Blames Defense For Team USA Collapse
“It’s hard for us to build continuity with Team USA,” Kerr said. “Just because we naturally have so much turnover year to year. What we have tried to do is learn what wins a FIBA game. We really studied everything about FIBA, the history of United States basketball — when we won, what was the reason, and when we lost, what was the reason. We study all that stuff.”
“When it comes down to us and this tournament, we put ourselves in a great position, we got to the semifinals,” Kerr said. “We were right there, but we could not get enough stops. We did not defend well against Germany or Canada. That’s the bottom line. Every year, we are trying to build the best two-way team we can.”
Team USA is now reportedly preparing a superteam to face the 2024 Olympics, and maybe it’s time they finally stop overlooking the rest of the competition, as the rest of the world has gotten a lot better.