After being defeated, and handily at that, by a group of players whose talent is best suited for the NBA G League — which is for all intents and purposes, the NBA’s minor league — you would have to forgive fans for wondering how Team USA would fare in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Ordinarily, with a collection of All-NBA and All-Star talent, it’s usually a foregone conclusion that the national team will at least medal, if not come away with the gold altogether. Yet, this summer saw star after star remove themselves from Team USA’s roster, so many so that the Select Team had to promote two players (Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox and San Antonio Spurs point guard Derrick White).
That said, before Team USA faced off against a Spanish national team led by longtime NBA veterans Marc Gasol and Ricky Rubio, there was a legitimate chance that the national team could lose the first game of the tournament.
However, led by the perimeter-heavy group of Donovan Mitchell, Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum and Khris Middleton — who recorded a combined 47 points and 15 assists — Team USA defeated Spain (90-81).
Though the final margin was within single digits, Team USA had a sizable lead over Spain from the second quarter on.
Walker, with 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds, was the primary playmaker and star of the show. Swingman Jaylen Brown would score nine points in nine minutes while bigs Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez and Myles Turner were responsible for another 23 points (though just 10 rebounds).
Guard Marcus Smart, who has been held out due to soreness in his ankle and calf, didn’t play on Friday. He was the lone player not to suit up and get playing time against Spain.
As for Spain’s national team, Rubio (16 points) and Gasol (19 points) excelled against their NBA brethren. However, Team USA had strength in numbers and that was a major catalyst for their victory.
In taking advantage their talent advantage, what was most impressive about Team USA was their chemistry, as players routinely found each other for easy — or uncontested — attempts at the rim or from distance.
Not only does Spain, as usual, have talented NBA veterans. Thanks to their low roster overturn, they have camaraderie and chemistry that not every national team can emulate.
In many ways, they could have been seen as the antithesis of the United States’ ragtag group of youngsters, as roughly one-third of their players 27-years-old or younger while Team USA has just two players that are older than 27 (Walker and Brook Lopez).
Nonetheless, the national team’s own camaraderie — on and off the court — is clearly headed in the right direction.
