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Team USA Notes: Haliburton, Bridges, Next Steps

September 10th, 2023 at 3:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite Team USA’s failure to earn even a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton would like to keep playing for the program, writes George Efkarpides of Eurohoops. The Paris Olympics next summer would mark the next big opportunity to do so.

“If they want me back, it’s a no-brainer for me,” Haliburton said of a return to Team USA. “You want to end on a high note; we didn’t do that, so it’s obviously disappointing. But it was a fun experience. Every time you can play for the USA, it’s a privilege and an honor.”

Haliburton, a reserve for the U.S. behind Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, proved to be a key contributor for the club. His passing and scoring were critical contributions for the Americans this summer, though they fell far short of their ambitions.

There’s more from the Team USA fallout:

Haliburton may have some company from another Team USA comrade in the future. Nets small forward Mikal Bridges indicated after the club’s 127-118 overtime loss to Team Canada that he would be open to an encore appearance for his country in international play, writes Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “I think I will never say no, it’s an honor every time,” Bridges said. “No matter the result, I wouldn’t trade those six weeks. The biggest thing is the relationship we built. That’s what I take away from this.”
Although Team USA has won the gold medal in its last four consecutive Olympic appearances, it has failed to enjoy that same success during the FIBA World Cup, which it hasn’t won in nine years. Noting that the club’s roster will have more decorated players at the Olympics in Paris next summer, Joe Vardon of The Athletic pinpoints problems with defense and rebounding as the biggest reasons behind the club’s failure this summer.

Germany Wins Gold Medal, USA Fourth At World Cup

September 10th, 2023 at 10:29am CST by Arthur Hill

Germany wrapped up an undefeated World Cup by topping Serbia, 83-77, in Sunday’s gold medal game. Team USA, which had been favored to win the gold, left without a medal after falling to Canada in an overtime thriller in the bronze medal contest.

Dennis Schröder led the Germans with 28 points in the finals and Franz Wagner added 19. Germany was able to take down all challengers in the tournament despite playing much of it without Wagner, who suffered a sprained ankle in the opener against Japan.

Schröder was named World Cup MVP (Twitter link) and was joined on the All-Star 5 by Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, USA’s Anthony Edwards, Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic (Twitter link).

Canada’s victory was noteworthy as it marked the nation’s first-ever medal in World Cup competition and only its second win against the U.S. in a senior men’s tournament. The Canadians were led by 31 points and 12 assists from Gilgeous-Alexander and 39 points from Dillon Brooks, who continues to rebuild his reputation following a playoff embarrassment and an unpleasant separation with the Grizzlies in free agency.

“It was so enjoyable. Obviously the hate doesn’t stop, it keeps going,” Brooks told reporters, including Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “It’s hard to battle against the world and a team.”

Before earning their medals, the Canadians had to survive a miracle finish from Team USA that sent the game to overtime. Trailing by four points with 4.2 seconds remaining, Mikal Bridges hit his first free throw and purposely missed the second before chasing down the rebound in the right corner and hitting a spinning three-pointer with 0.6 left on the clock. Bridges, who scored 19 points and battled Gilgeous-Alexander on defense, may be one of the members of the World Cup roster with a strong chance of returning for the Olympics.

However, Canada controlled play in the overtime to capture a 127-118 victory that sent the U.S. home without a medal for the second straight World Cup. The Americans dropped three of their last four games as defense and rebounding became persistent issues.

“We just didn’t defend well enough against Germany (in the semifinals) or against Canada, and that’s the bottom line,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Every year when you try to build a team, you try to build the best two-way team you can and be able to get stops and score, and everybody’s trying to do that.”

Windhorst points out that the Americans have now lost seven combined games over their last three major tournaments, creating a wide open race for the gold at the Paris Olympics next summer. The U.S. may have to reconsider the type of players it wants to invite, although Kerr said USA Basketball officials felt good about the World Cup roster they put together.

“We’ve really studied everything about FIBA and the history of United States basketball when we’ve won, what has been the reason and when we’ve lost what has been the reason,” Kerr said. “So we study all that stuff, and what it comes down to for us in this tournament, we put ourselves in a great position. We got to the semifinals and were right there.”

Community Shootaround: 2024 U.S. Olympic Roster

September 9th, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Two losses this week in World Cup competition offered another reminder that USA Basketball isn’t as far ahead of the rest of the world as it used to be.

The Americans couldn’t overcome a huge early deficit on Sunday against Lithuania as bigger and stronger opponents continue to cause problems for the U.S. team. After blowing out Italy on Tuesday in the start of the elimination round, the same issues emerged on Friday against Germany, which held on for a two-point victory that sent Team USA into the bronze-medal game.

It might be easy to dismiss the losses as a result of not having its best players participating, but that’s true for a lot of nations with the Olympics looming in 2024. Only two All-NBA players took part in the World Cup — Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — and neither represented the U.S.

The stakes will be much higher in Paris next summer, as Olympic gold medals are considered the greatest prize in international basketball. Few of the 12 players who made up the World Cup team may get Olympic invitations, as the USA will have its traditional collection of All-Stars to pick from. But with opening ceremonies only about 10 months away, it’s not too early to think about who should be there.

With Steve Kerr serving as head coach, Warriors star Stephen Curry will be an obvious target. Curry hasn’t played in an international tournament since the FIBA World Championship in 2010, but the NBA’s best-ever three-point shooter would be a perfect weapon in the international game.

Kerr may also push for Klay Thompson, who’s also a deadly shooter but hasn’t been as effective since missing two full seasons with injuries. Draymond Green, who was part of the gold medal winners in the last Olympics, provides versatility and aggressive defense in the frontcourt, but he’ll turn 34 next year.

Age is an issue for several traditional USA Basketball standouts. LeBron James will turn 39 in December, and although he still plays at a high level, it may be tough for him to commit to an Olympic schedule if the Lakers make another long playoff run. The same goes for Kevin Durant, the leading scorer for the 2021 gold medalists, who will celebrate his 35th birthday this month.

Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard and Bam Adebayo are the most obvious candidates to return from the last Olympic team, and Zach LaVine and Jrue Holiday should get consideration as well. That provides plenty of wing scoring, but leaves the U.S. at risk of being undersized.

Joel Embiid would solve the center problem if he commits to the U.S., but he also has French citizenship and France may be aggressive in its pursuit after failing to advance past pool play at the World Cup. Anthony Davis might be the best option if the U.S. can’t land Embiid.

Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Austin Reaves have all impressed in World Cup play and may be asked back for the Olympics. Jimmy Butler, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Julius Randle, Paul George and Ja Morant are current All-Stars who might receive consideration, along with anyone who has a breakout performance in the upcoming season.

We want to get your opinion. If you were putting together USA Basketball’s Olympic roster for 2024, who would make up the core of your team? Please leave your answer in the space below.

Team USA Notes: Reaves, Haliburton, Anthony, Curry

September 9th, 2023 at 5:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Team USA will leave the World Cup without a gold medal, but it may have developed a few players who will be useful in future international competitions, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. This version of the American squad was built around young talent than established stars, and many of them could return for future World Cup or Olympic tournaments.

Vardon points to Lakers guard Austin Reaves as one of those players. The 25-year-old is third in scoring for the U.S. at 12.4 PPG and second in steals at 1.3 per game. He has also regularly been on the court late in close games.

“I think I’ve been able to learn a lot from a lot of really good players, a lot of really good coaches, and basically just see that I belong,” Reaves said.

International play has often been the springboard for players to assert themselves as future stars, such as Kevin Durant in the 2010 World Championship, Vardon notes. Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards appears ready to move into that role, and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton may be as well.

“I think being the point guard with other great scorers, other great players and understand that they want to be on the court at the same time as me, they want me to be in there to get them involved,” Haliburton said.

There’s more on Team USA:

Friday’s loss to Germany was among the topics addressed by global ambassadors Pau Gasol, Luis Scola and Carmelo Anthony during an appearance on a talk show, relays Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Anthony, one of the most accomplished international players in American history, considers the result an “upset,” but not a huge surprise. “You have to take your hat off to Germany, and for Serbia as well,” Anthony said. “That’s good for the sport, everybody has to think differently when approaching these competitions. The game has grown globally. Everybody has an opportunity to go there and win a gold medal.”
Lack of size was an issue for the U.S. not only against Germany but throughout the World Cup, observes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. He notes that in three games against larger European teams, the Americans gave up 53 offensive rebounds and 64 second-chance points.
Stephen Curry is Team USA’s “must-have guy” for the Paris Olympics, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Instead of turning to LeBron James and Durant again, Rankin would like to see the 2024 roster built around Curry with Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Devin Booker, De’Aaron Fox, Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, Bam Adebayo and Jarrett Allen all in prominent roles.

World Cup Notes: USA, Edwards, Germany, Canada

September 8th, 2023 at 5:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Head coach Steve Kerr once again stressed the high level of international competition following Team USA’s upset loss to Germany, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.

“This is not 1992 anymore,” Kerr said. “Players are better all over the world. Teams are better. It’s not easy to win World Cup or Olympic games.”

Kerr also gave the Germans credit.

“Congrats to Germany, they were fantastic,” he added. “Every time we made a run, they got a great shot, an offensive rebound, a big play. I am proud of my guys, they fought and gave us a chance in the end, but we couldn’t exactly get it.”

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards said the team lacked toughness in the semifinal loss, but he refused to use lack of size as an excuse, relays George Efkarpidis of Eurohoops.

“We got out-rebounded all night. … They were more physical than us,” Edwards said.

Here’s more from the 2023 World Cup, which concludes Sunday:

German head coach Gordon Herbert got a three-year commitment from his roster, which is filled with experienced veterans. The group’s continuity showed in the victory, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “I think that helped us immensely,” Magic forward Franz Wagner said. “From the first day we got together this summer, we believed that we’re a special group and we can win against any team.”
Could the three-year blueprint be something the Americans emulate going forward? As Fischer notes, former USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski got three-year commitments from players when he took over in 2005. “I’m not sure how you would do that,” Kerr said. “If you wanna ask the same 10 guys to play every summer, I think that’s very unrealistic. Part of the deal with USAB is you pass the baton to the next coaching staff, the next group of players. It’s different than most countries. But we’re unique in that we have a deep talent pool and a lot of very worthy players. And I think those players and coaches all deserve to have the honor of wearing that USA jersey.”
Despite dropping its semifinal to Serbia, which will face Germany for a chance at gold, the Canadian national team is still determined to defeat the U.S. and claim the bronze medal, according to Barkas of Eurohoops. “It’s very important for the country, the players, the program,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We are very emotional right now, but getting a medal will be very important for us and we know we can still get better. We want to leave this tournament hungry and thirsty for more.”

Germany, Serbia Advance To World Cup Final; USA, Canada To Play For Bronze

September 8th, 2023 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

The United States, with a roster made up entirely of NBA players, and Canada, led by All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, both fell at the World Cup semifinals on Friday, defeated by Germany and Serbia, respectively.

The Germans and Serbians will vie for the gold medal on Sunday, with the loser claiming the silver. Before that game tips off, the U.S. and Canada will battle for bronze.

Although the U.S. entered the tournament – and Friday’s semifinal – as the betting favorites, Germany remains the only undefeated team at the 2023 World Cup. The Germans won their seventh consecutive game, with Bayern Munich guard Andreas Obst (24 points, six assists) and NBA veterans Franz Wagner (22 points, five rebounds), Daniel Theis (21 points, seven rebounds), and Dennis Schröder (17 points, nine assists) leading the way.

The Americans, who were missing Brandon Ingram due to an upper respiratory illness, got 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting from Anthony Edwards and had no problems scoring as a team — they made 38-of-65 shots (58.5%) from the field overall, including 12-of-25 three-pointers, and missed just one of 24 free throw tries.

However, they struggled on defense, giving up 113 points in the 40-minute contest. That’s the most a U.S. team has ever conceded in a World Cup game, breaking the previous record of 110 that was set a few days ago in the second-round loss to Lithuania, per HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, in Friday’s early game, Serbia took a first quarter lead and never looked back, led by another big game from Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (23 points on 8-of-12 shooting). The Serbians got the ball out of Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands, limiting him to just eight shot attempts (he had 15 points), and controlled the boards, grabbing 33 rebounds to Canada’s 22.

Despite missing key players – such as Maxi Kleber for Germany and, more importantly, Nikola Jokic for Serbia – the two European clubs have looked terrific in the World Cup, clinching 2024 Olympic berths and at least a silver medal.

The Canadians will go home a little disappointed if they can’t claim a medal, but regardless of the result on Sunday, they’ll have their best ever World Cup finish. And earning a spot in the Olympics for the first time since 2000 qualifies as a win from the program.

On the other hand, it’s a second consecutive discouraging World Cup for Team USA, which finished seventh at the 2019 tournament. The Americans won’t end up lower than fourth this time around, but also won’t do better than a bronze medal in an event they were favored to win.

USA, Serbia Advance To World Cup Semifinals

September 5th, 2023 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

After their first loss of the summer against Lithuania on Sunday, Team USA bounced back in convincing fashion on Tuesday, blowing out Italy in a quarterfinal matchup that was never close. The U.S. won by a final score of 100-63, led by Nets forward Mikal Bridges (24 points, seven rebounds) and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (18 points, five assists).

The victory lines up Team USA for a semifinal showdown on Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between Germany and Latvia. The German team – which includes NBAers like Dennis Schröder, Daniel Theis, and Moritz Wagner – is undefeated in the World Cup and will be the favorite to win Wednesday’s game, though Latvia has exceeded expectations and is a legitimate threat to make it to the final four.

Meanwhile, the Lithuanian squad that defeated the U.S. on Sunday had a disappointing follow-up contest vs. Serbia on Tuesday, losing by a score of 87-68 in another one-sided quarterfinal.

Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic was Serbia’s best player, pouring in 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Sixers big man Filip Petrusev had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting in just 17 minutes of action. Heat forward Nikola Jovic also chipped in with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting.

Serbia will face the winner of Wednesday’s Canada/Slovenia game in Friday’s semifinal, while Lithuania and Italy move into the consolation games to determine the fifth-through-eighth place finishers.

Lithuania and Italy will now have to win qualifying tournaments next summer in order to earn one of the final four spots in the 2024 Olympics, while Serbia remains in the running to claim one of the two FIBA Europe Olympic berths up for grabs in the World Cup.

The winner of Germany/Latvia on Wednesday would join Serbia as the two European Olympic qualifiers if Slovenia falls to Canada; if Slovenia wins, three European teams would still be alive for two Olympic berths heading into the semifinals.

Team USA Notes: First Loss, Banchero, Brunson, Bridges

September 4th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Team USA coach Gregg Popovich used to talk about “appropriate fear,” which is what current coach Steve Kerr said his team should be feeling after losing to Lithuania on Sunday, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. After going unbeaten through exhibition play and the first four games of the tournament, the Americans now understand they’re not invincible as they enter the quarterfinals.

“It makes it real,” Austin Reaves said. “Obviously, now, it’s (win) or go home. We see the reactions. We obviously know that everybody wants to beat us in particular. We see the joy that they get from that. That taste in your mouth, it don’t feel good.”

Although the U.S. remains favored to win the tournament, it will have to play significantly better for that to happen. Sunday’s loss came after a close call Friday against Montenegro in which Team USA had to stage a late rally to pull out a victory.

Reynolds notes that Kerr has been through this experience twice before as a member of Popovich’s staff. The U.S. dropped its first game against France in the last Olympics, but didn’t lose again on the way to a gold medal. In the 2019 World Cup, the team lost in the quarterfinals and wound up finishing seventh.

“Every player that plays for USA Basketball, they have to recognize what they’re up against and it’s not enough for us to just tell them. They’ve got to feel it,” Kerr said. “I think they’ve felt it in the last couple games.”

There’s more on Team USA:

Tuesday’s matchup with Italy will be especially significant for Paolo Banchero, Reynolds adds. With an Italian father and an American mother, Banchero had a choice of representing either nation, but he chose the U.S. because that’s who his mom once played for. “I’ll treat it like any other game,” he said.
Jalen Brunson is accepting blame for the troubling pattern of slow starts, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. Lithuania dominated the early part of Sunday’s contest, building a 31-12 lead after one quarter. “They executed their game plan and we just started too slow. We played way better in the second half and we waited too long to come to play,” Brunson said. “That’s on me, I have to come ready to play, I have to have everyone else ready to play. Respect to them, they played great.”
Mikal Bridges vows that the U.S. squad will be more focused for the rest of the tournament, Barkas adds in a separate story. “We just have to be ready for the next one, add more fuel to the fire,” he said. “We are not getting sent home. We just have to keep playing with our talent, we have to keep our guys out there.”

Community Shootaround: Team USA

September 3rd, 2023 at 7:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Team USA appeared to be cruising along in the FIBA World Cup. Then came Lithuania.

A 110-104 loss on Sunday didn’t knock Team USA out of the tournament but it made the favorites look quite vulnerable. Team USA’s athleticism couldn’t overcome Lithuania’s size and power. The U.S. was outrebounded by 16 and got outscored 17-2 on second-chance points.

A slow start — which has been characteristic of this group — was another issue. Team USA trailed 31-12 after the first quarter and never recovered.

As the final score would indicate, Team USA’s defense was shredded by the star-less Lithuanians. While Lithuania has some familiar faces, including Jonas Valanciunas and Ignas Brazdeikis, it was alarming to see the United States team allow 52.8% shooting overall and 56% on threes. Lithuania had nine players score at least nine points.

The biggest concern coming into the tournament for Team USA was a general lack of size. Jaren Jackson Jr., who has spent most of his NBA career as a power forward, has been starting at center. He quickly got into foul trouble on Sunday and coach Steve Kerr had even smaller options when he went to his bench. The only true center on the roster, Walker Kessler, played six minutes.

Even so, with the likes of Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Austin Reaves and Tyrese Haliburton, you’d expect Team USA to overcome its size issues.

There’s no more margin for error with the quarterfinals against Italy looming on Tuesday. If Team USA advances, it would face Germany or Latvia in the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, the quarterfinal matches include Lithuania vs. Serbia and Canada vs. Slovenia.

That leads us to today’s topic: Do you feel Team USA will prevail in the World Cup despite Sunday’s loss? If not, which team is your pick to win it?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

World Cup Notes: Team USA, Kessler, SGA, Brooks

September 3rd, 2023 at 5:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Following Lithuania’s upset of Team USA, Bucks forward Bobby Portis said the team needs to have a short memory as it prepares to play Italy in the World Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.

“One thing I learned about sports, nobody gonna feel sorry for you,” Portis said to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports and other media members. “Nobody gonna pat you on your back and sleep with you at night and say, ‘Hey man, it’s gonna be OK.’ Move on, get ready for the next opponent.”

The upset was fueled by Lithuania’s inside power and dominance of the boards. Lithuania out-rebounded Team USA 43-27 and had a 17-2 edge in second-chance points.

“They out-rebounded us, for sure,” Portis said. “I don’t have to look at that stat. I think that was kinda obvious.”

We have more from the World Cup:

Another thing Team USA needs is to get off to better starts, Fischer notes in the same story. The U.S. trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half. “We were on our heels that whole first half,” coach Steve Kerr said. “They were carving us up, and we definitely had some miscommunications.”
Jazz second-year big man Walker Kessler hasn’t seen much action for Team USA, though that could change, given its rebounding issues. Kessler is averaging 3.6 points and 6.1 minutes per game but he’s just happy to be on the roster, Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune relays. “I think that our team, all 12 of us are just unbelievably talented players,” he said. “All the guys are great guys. Regardless of who’s playing, we all cheer for each other. We all support each other. It just goes to show how deep we are. Anybody could have a good night on this team, and it’s a lot of fun to be part of.”
Canada clinched a spot in the Paris Olympics with its 88-85 win over Spain on Sunday. The victory was fueled by the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Rockets’ Dillon Brooks, Eric Koreen of The Athletic notes. Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points, seven assists and three steals. Brooks supplied 22 points and was also a defensive nuisance. “It’s something that’s almost indescribable,” SGA told Sportsnet in regards to Canada clinching an Olympic appearance for the first time since 2000.