Team USA is playing NBA basketball, but it’s time to adjust for the Olympics

On some levels, Team USA’s quest for Olympic gold in men’s basketball is a race against time.

For NBA stars who play international basketball for the red, white and blue, the FIBA ​​rules are so different that it requires some real adjustments to the way they play. Given their lack of familiarity – even Team USA’s most experienced international players have had far fewer reps than players from European powers – this has been an ongoing process since the summer began.

In each tournament, the game within the game is whether the most talented team can make enough adjustments to dominate opponents while being far more familiar with the rules of the game.

At the Tokyo Olympics, they did so – just barely – from losing to Nigeria and Australia to losing to France in the preliminary round and defeating France by five in the gold medal game. In the 2019 and 2023 World Cups… not so much. In 2019, the US finished seventh, losing to Serbia and France; The Americans lost to Lithuania, Germany and Canada to finish fourth in 2023.

One could argue that the US was disadvantaged by the lack of competitive preliminary games for the knockout rounds in those World Cup tournaments. The Olympics are probably better for the US because only 12 teams are invited instead of 32. Due to the limited field, almost all games are against solid-to-good teams, without the Chinese high of a 110–62 win over Jordan to provide distractions. Them.

By the time the knockout rounds began on August 6, the United States would have played all of the gold medal contenders except the French. The exhibition schedule features Canada, Australia, Serbia and Germany, and they play Serbia again in pool play (with somewhat lighter showings against South Sudan and Puerto Rico).

The first two of those exhibitions – against Canada and Australia – were very different from the ones the US faced against Germany, Serbia and France. I probably feel it a little more keenly as I’ve watched each of the latter three teams play their tune.

America is still playing NBA basketball, and will have to adjust to playing FIBA ​​basketball. The first two rivals, while talented, were not particularly helpful for that purpose.

In Canada’s case, it’s a shame that our friends to the north were the only potential opponent for the USA Basketball exhibition in North America before moving across the ocean; I’d say it was just as bad for Canada. Both teams needed to play against FIBA-style players as quickly as possible.

Instead, the two star-studded teams essentially played an NBA game in Las Vegas on Wednesday (I attended with a fellow basketball fan named Barry and a few other people). While the crowd went wild and the US got its desired result, it barely scored a point per possession against a dominant Canadian frontcourt and made only 23 3-pointers in a FIBA ​​game with Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton and Tried. Jayson Tatum is on the team.

Things improved against Australia on the offensive end, even with the US still committing too many turnovers (18) and devolving into iso-ball at times which was a problem at the World Cup. The Australians probably had the lowest shooting of any serious medal contenders, making just 4 of 18 triples, but the fact that they still scored 92 points is troubling.

This takes us to what’s next, and the adjustment part. Check out the box scores from abroad: France, Serbia and Germany are playing a different game. Even with three All-Star-level centers on the court, France and Serbia took a combined 56 3s and just 51 2s in their exhibition on Friday. A few days ago, the French and Germans held two exhibitions and jointly launched 112 3s and 126 2s.

Even though the 3s played a huge role, those sides are also playing a very slow, composed game. The losing team failed to score 70 points in all three of those contests, and offensive rebounds – the 2023 US World Cup team’s bugaboo – were crucial (and incredibly consistent) in two of them.

There’s no reason why the US can’t play like this too, and history tells us that the US side develops as the tournament progresses. Bringing back Kevin Durant – historically an American cheat code in the international game – and harnessing more value from the shorter international 3-point line would help. Unlike last summer, the size issue is not a factor with Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo on the roster.

Embiid perhaps highlights the American challenge more than anyone. He has not played international basketball at this level, and his discomfort while feeling out a FIBA ​​tune-up has been evident. He was brutal against Canada, got off to a slow start against Australia and looked better in the second half, but so far Davis has been a better option.

However, even in his minutes, there are little scenes that make you wonder how America will adjust on the offensive end.

Here’s an Adebayo-Davis kickout pass from when the two shared the court on Monday. This was one of several trips across two exhibitions where the US could not gain enough of a lead to get a catch-and-shoot 3. Instead, you almost felt the American side shrug and say, “I guess we’ll take a 20-foot-2.”

However, that piece is a relatively small potato. In the bigger picture, another clip explains a lot about how different FIBA’s attacking style should be.

Here’s a post-up of LeBron James on the right block. Do you see what’s different from the NBA post-up? A large man is standing just below the basket, just hanging out. James is not going to get a clean shot at the rim, even if he beats his man. And worse, his man knows it and feels emboldened to pressure him and snatch a turnaround jumper too.

Extra defenders at the rim aren’t a thing in the NBA because of the defensive three-second rule, and this changes everything. (Defensively, America also can’t always figure out when he can get that defender out.) Too many unhealthy, stand-up possessions that force Anthony Edwards into a one-on-five for a pull-up. Jumper ends are a downstream result of that person taking a one-on-one blow under the rim.

The elixir for help defenders in the charge circle problem is quick cutting and ball movement, the type of five-man orchestration that takes time as a unit to master. Compare Team USA’s offense with some possessions from Friday’s France-Serbia game. Watch France’s first game of the second half. The French ping the ball from left to right and back; All five players rapidly touch it before the sixth pass of the sequence, yielding a wide-open corner 3:

America is not yet capable of such occupation. If the Americans ever get there, no one will touch them.

The European teams and players the US is going to play have years of experience playing each other in summer FIBA ​​tournaments since they were teenagers. There are some NBA players, yes, but they never lost their FIBA ​​sea legs; It has become very ingrained.

Meanwhile, Americans have three weeks to catch up. They also have more talent, and especially at the Olympics, this has usually proven to be the difference maker. But make no mistake: The U.S. side is in a familiar race against the clock to achieve FIBA ​​literacy, and one could argue that the first two games put sand through the hourglass without advancing their education much. Gave. Serbia is waiting for the next one, and no one doubts it will happen then Real Adjustment begins.

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(US vs Australia top photo: Christopher Pike/Getty Images)