- Grant Hill has an interesting take on Team USA’s recent FIBA World Cup defeat against Lithuania
- Team USA suffered an embarrassing 104-110 defeat
- Hill believes Team USA needs to reinstall its fear into international teams
Team USA is widely expected to have the greatest pool of players available to play internationally. But most big-name superstars no longer have an interest in representing Team USA.
In the second round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA was given a reality check by Lithuania. They were defeated 104-110 prior to advancing to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Former NBA player Grant Hill says it’s because international players no longer fair America’s team.
There’s no longer the mystique of playing against the NBA players. They were still like in awe of playing against Charles Barkley or Karl Malone,” Hill told BasketNews. “It’s interesting how quickly the rest of the world caught up. There was an incredible scare in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. And then, in 2002 and 2004, we lost.”
He added: “The game is different. Our game in the NBA is starting to be more like their game. The talent and shooting have improved. Now, 30% of the NBA is international players. There’s still respect, but there’s not the sort of fear or the awe that was there 27 years ago.”
Gilbert Arenas echoed Grant Hill’s take. Arenas also believes that there is a lack of fear regarding Team USA on the international stage.
Team USA is the most decorated team in the Olympics. They have won 16 gold medals since 1936. But over the years, the rest of the world has caught up to them.
The top spot had to be retained after allowing NBA players to compete in the 1992 Olympics when the Dream Team was formed. It featured the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson on the same.
Team USA breezed past the competition and attained a perfect 8-0 record in the Olympics.
As for the FIBA World Cup, Team USA is tied with Yugoslavia for winning the most gold medals in the competition’s history. Both teams have five gold medals to their names.
But Team USA is yet to win a gold medal since 2014. Many expect the drought to end at this current edition of the tournament.
Team USA Can Still Win The Gold Medal At The 2023 FIBA World Cup
Despite a 4-1 record, Team USA qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They will enter as the big favorites to win their matchup against Italy on September 05, 2023.
The likes of Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves, and Mikal Bridges will be expected to lead the team to an easy victory. But let’s be honest: the current roster of the team is nowhere close to its full potential.
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas ripped apart Team USA for taking a weak roster after the shocking loss versus Lithuania.
“Team USA took that weak roster to the World Cup and look what happened,” He said. “We can say as a group this is what, an F? This is the F list compared to what we have. Compared to all the players in the NBA. This is an F list.”
The only bright takeaway from the defeat was Anthony Edwards’ performance. He had 35 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists. Unfortunately, Edwards was the sole player giving his 100%, and Team USA was simply outworked by their opponents.
Grant Hill Suggests A Blueprint For Team USA’s Comeback
Grant Hill was part of Team USA’s 1996 roster that won the gold medal in the Summer Olympics. Hill definitely knows what it takes to win at the international level.
The former NBA star recently shared his views on how Team USA can make a comeback after losing against Lithuania in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Hill made the revelation in the same interview with BasketNews.
“First and foremost, you try to build a team,” Hill said. “You want players whose skill set would translate well in international basketball. Then there are certain qualities that you need.”
“The challenge is to get everyone to sacrifice and think of the collective but still be who they are,” he continued. “It’s just not always easy. And you have to accelerate the process of coming together.”
“The FIBA game is different than the NBA game. So you’re looking for what you think will translate. There’s a lot of talking with teams, agents, and players. You could write a book on the process of assembling the roster, which is a crazy story,” he added.
Hill says things will only get more intense in the later stages of the tournament. So it’s upon head coach Steve Kerr to select a better starting five and rotation for the team in the knockout stages.
Can Team USA redeem themselves? Or will it be the final nail in the coffin before Team USA finally recruits players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry for the international tournaments? Only time will tell.
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