- Longtime NBA veteran explains why fans discourse must change for USA Basketball
- Redick reflects on Olympic wins in 2012 and 2008
- Redick calls for an end to toxic player discourse on Team USA performance
With Team USA’s defeat still fresh in the minds of fans and critics everywhere, countless opinions have been shared about where things went wrong to cause this sharp falloff. On ‘The Old Man & The Three’ podcast, former league guard JJ Redick joined the conversation — only he came to the defense of Team USA by explaining the level of difficulty involved with the international scene.
“You go back to ’08, you go back to 2012, bring up ’21, we had some of the greatest teams ever assembled in basketball in terms of talent and I believe, too, in terms of fit. Those teams won gold. Ask [Dwyane Wade] if ’08 was easy. Ask [Chris Paul] if ’12 was easy. Ask [Devin Booker] if ’21— It’s not easy at this level to win gold. I think we need to reframe the entire conversation.”
For Redick, the differences between FIBA basketball and NBA basketball are very clear and failure in one area does not determine the worth for a player or team in another. “We need to stop with the FIBA, NBA, this guy ‘oh he got exposed’ — what the f—? Fine, he got exposed in FIBA, but it doesn’t mean that Brandon Ingram isn’t an All-NBA type player.”
It’s time to reframe the conversation around international competition.
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— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) September 11, 2023
Are Fans Being Too Hard On Team USA?
It’s obviously strange to see Team USA get bounced so early on in the FIBA World Cup, but it isn’t all that surprising to those who have picked up on the rapid globalization of the game. Over the years, we’ve seen an influx of talent arrive from overseas and make its way to the NBA, and it appears as if the balance of power is finally starting to even out between the USA and the rest of the world.
So when you account for the rise in strength from other countries and Team USA missing out on many of the top athletes, it makes sense that they were beaten so easily in 2023. But even back when they were winning, it wasn’t as easy as they made it look.
What’s Next For Team USA?
Heading home with their tail between their legs, there is no obvious answer for how to turn the situation around for USA Basketball. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to see their response. Next year, in Paris, the 2024 Olympic Games will be happening and Team USA is expected to pull all the stops to maintain their top place on the world stage.
While the official roster will not be known for some time, LeBron James could be on the way for a final run, along with longtime NBA veterans like Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. Even so, the days of total domination over the field may be over for the USA.
The world is getting better and better at basketball every single year, and we saw in the FIBA World Cup this summer just how much talent there is across the globe — especially in Europe with teams like Slovenia, Latvia, France, and Germany.
Team USA, obviously, could have the best team of them all, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be a cakewalk to the gold.
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