Team USA head coach Steve Kerr isn’t prepared to name a starting five for this summer’s World Cup squad, telling reporters on Thursday at the U.S. training camp that things will “shake out over the next week or two,” as Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays.
Although Team USA’s roster features plenty of talent, it’s primarily made up of younger players who don’t have a long list of postseason awards and/or playoff achievements on their respective résumés. Most of the roster also doesn’t have much – if any – international experience, so Kerr and his staff will have to figure out quickly which players are best suited for the international game and who fits together the best.
“It’s not easy, because usually you’re talking about 12 starters in the NBA. … These guys are all starters and great players,” Kerr said. “Part of the FIBA commitment is none of that stuff matters. There’s no contracts on the line. Nobody’s getting traded. This is just us for six weeks, and I expect the same thing to happen here is what happened in [2021, for the Olympics] and in [2019, for the World Cup], in terms of the buy-in and the effort and the energy and the intensity, and, we’ll see what happens.”
Here’s more on Team USA as it begins to prepare for the 2023 World Cup, which will take place in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia:
- In a separate ESPN.com story, Bontemps explores how the 2023 U.S. team can draw inspiration from the 2010 iteration of Team USA, which didn’t feature anyone from the 2008 Olympic roster and was derisively nicknamed the “B-Team.” Bontemps draws parallels between rising Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards and the 2010 version of Kevin Durant, who helped lead the U.S. to World Cup gold 13 years ago during his ascension to NBA superstardom. Edwards has a chance to follow a similar trajectory, as Bontemps outlines.
- Despite its relative inexperience, this U.S. squad appears better positioned for World Cup success than the 2019 group, which finished a disappointing seventh, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, who predicts that Team USA will come away with a gold medal this time around. Vardon predicts that Jaren Jackson, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Brandon Ingram will be starters, with Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and Austin Reaves vying for the final starting slot.
- Team USA forward Paolo Banchero tells Vardon that his decision on whether to represent the U.S. or the Italian national team was a difficult, “drawn-out process.” The recruitment of Banchero by former Magic star Grant Hill – now Team USA’s managing director – and the fact that Paolo’s mother played for the U.S. women’s team in the 1990s helped tip the scales in favor of Team USA, as the reigning Rookie of The Year explains.
- Banchero also told Vardon that he recognizes he may have a limited role on a talented U.S. roster and he’s prepared to do whatever is asked of him. “With Orlando, I’m the leading scorer, kind of the main guy,” he said. “But here, and I’m able to do other things, whether it is affecting the game defensively, on the glass, with my passing, whatever it may be. … I think I can showcase the other parts of my game. Whatever the team needs, I would try to show that.”
The problem is that just like the 19 team we are sending inexperienced all the way around into international arenas and expecting them to out athlete every one to a gold medal.
We could not have a more cushy first group draw if we tried. The groupings are set up in a NCAA style that allows us to avoid teams that will eat us alive until we have to play them in the later groupings.
They couldn’t beat the Australian NBA team right now. I like the Canadian team better as well.
The NBA is sending players for two countries that are better than ours.
A very Vegas like bet on which will finish higher is in order.
Canadian squad is extremely talented but they’re just as inexperienced as far as winning games in premier senior FIBA tournaments. This American team is better than the 19 team in a bunch of ways. 1 main way is that they’re much better equipped to withstand injuries/withdrawals
I love Ant but it’s ridiculous to hold anyone to the standard that KD has set as the greatest international basketball player ever & 1 of the greatest scorers in the history of the game. Comparing Ant to (fellow former #1 pick) Kyrie from the 2014 squad is way more reasonable to me… link to m.youtube.com
Yeah, Ant is not KD, there is only one KD. That is putting unrealistic expectations on this young man. Ant could certainly carry the scoring load for this team, along with Brandon Ingram, but they’re going to require alot more help from teammates if they are to take home the Gold.
I think it is a very solid, all-around group that the USA is sending, and I think they could actually be a really good defensive team with their size, length, and athleticism. They’re just going to have to really communicate and have solid team defense to beat these teams. They no longer hold such a glaring advantage athletically, but I think they can all get in the same page defensively pretty quickly aa long as they communicate well with eachother.
I think Team USA’s biggest obstacle they will have to overcome is finding a natural flow offensively. Like in the playoffs, there is going to be alot of half court sets, and not as many fastbreak opportunities, but I think Kerr is the perfect coach for what this group needs.
If they try to iso their way to a championship, it just isn’t going to work. These other teams are just too good for that, because they actually play together as a team. Unlike Team USA, the majority of these teams have alot of experience playing alongside eachother, so building team chemistry and finding their own identity as a group is going to be huge.
Team USA is going to have to find their groove offensively sharing the ball, spreading the floor, and keep from becoming too stagnant on offense if they truly want to win it all…
I agree with a lot of what you said. Id definitely describe this team moreso as spectacular than solid tho. There are some really great players on this team… I think they’ll be just fine scoring pts tho, bc they have a lot of guys that are willing/capable passers, especially Haliburton/Paolo/Reaves