The United States beat Germany 99-91 thanks to 34 points from Anthony Edwards and finished 5-0 in FIBA World Cup warm-up matches. But their flaws were still apparent as ever in Sunday's game.
"That fear factor is gone," said Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton following the United States win 99-91 comeback win over Germany on Sunday. Haliburton couldn't be more right, especially when you look at Team USA's squad which doesn't feature any All-NBA players for this summer's FIBA World Cup in the Philippines.
Fear factor aside though, the United States still went 5-0 in their warm-up matches, besting Puerto Rico, Slovenia, Greece, Spain, and Germany. Spain is the returning champion and ranked first overall by FIBA heading into the tournament.
With a start like that to the summer, why should the United States be concerned before the tournament tips off this coming Friday?
Lack of size, and rebounding
The United States is not only lacking All-NBA players, but they're also an undersized team. Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, and Bobby Portis are the team's centers. Paolo Banchero is the only other player who's got a build worthy of playing the four.
This team will be overly dependent on Jackson to dominate the backboard and the paint for the majority of the tournament. Jackson certainly has the talent to live up to the task, there's no denying that. He's one of the best rim protectors in the league, but primarily a great team rebounder and not quite an individual who can consistently haul in 10-12 rebounds on a nightly basis.
Sure, the like of Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic aren't playing in this tournament, but Rudy Gobert is. A number of European teams are rolling with two big line-up's as well.
Germany exposed the United States' weakness on the backboards by playing Daniel Theis and Johannes Voigtmann together. Canada has regularly played Dwight Powell and Kelly Olynyk together in their warm-up games, and Greece, Serbia, and Montenegro have also stacked their frontcourts with size over athleticism.
Jackson is impressive, and Kessler and Portis can certainly fill in for stretches. But what if he gets into foul trouble? Or even worse, an injury? What are plans B and C for the center position?
5-0 is nice, but it has not answered the questions about the United States' lack of size before the FIBA World Cup begins.
Can Anthony Edwards be the guy?
Edwards' play so far says so. He's averaged 19.2 points per game in their warm-up games and was instrumental in their comeback against Germany, draining a three with just over five minutes to tie the game. In the final minutes, Edwards' two free throws and jumper sealed the deal.
But, Edwards is still 22, and FIBA competitions – with their rule changes and slower pace – have easily perplexed more established NBA stars in recent history. Edwards could succumb to a similar fate in just one big game for the United States, and that could cost them their shot at the gold medal.
Edwards' performance this summer is not make-or-break for him. He's already signed his max contract extension with the Minnesota Timberwolves, made his first All-Star team last February, and with the lack of talent on display for Team USA, he will not be held accountable for any failure this summer.
His performance is make-or-break for Team USA though, and some opponents may try to capitalize on that.
Can the United States overcome its lack of cohesiveness?
While other countries have increased their amount of players in the NBA, the United States still clears the field in this category. They remain the only country to feature a squad of exclusively NBA players. However, their advantage in talent 1-12 could potentially be minimized by the cohesiveness of other teams.
Nando De Colo and Rudy Gobert have been running pick-and-rolls together for nearly a decade. Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull have won four gold medals in FIBA competitions since 2009. Bogdan Bogdanovic probably threw his first post-entry pass to Nikola Milutinov 11 years ago when they were teammates at Partizan Belgrade.
These tournaments ultimately come down to who can go the longest without one bad game, or who can figure out a way to win even when they're having a bad game. It takes a core of players who have been through these battles together to persevere more often than not.
Other teams have that this summer and the United States doesn't. It's as simple as that.
