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 couldnāt get a stop in the perimeter, and the coaching staffās 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
āItās hard for us to build continuity with Team USA,ā Kerr said. āJust 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 ā when we won, what was the reason, and when we lost, what was the reason. We study all that stuff.ā
āWhen it comes down to us and this tournament, we put ourselves in a great position, we got to the semifinals,ā Kerr said. āWe were right there, but we could not get enough stops. We did not defend well against Germany or Canada. Thatās the bottom line. Every year, we are trying to build the best two-way team we can.ā

see also
LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant will lead Team USA in the Olympics
Team USA is now reportedly preparing a superteam to face the 2024 Olympics, and maybe itās time they finally stop overlooking the rest of the competition, as the rest of the world has gotten a lot better.





