- The U.S. are favorites to win the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- Bill Simmons believes their biggest issue at the tournament would be an internal one
- Simmons thinks some players will have to come to grips with not closing games
Team USA enters the 2023 FIBA World Cup as the favorite, and Bill Simmons believes their biggest issue wouldn’t be any team they’d be coming up against. During their game against Germany on Sunday, Simmons stated some big names might have a hard time accepting that Austin Reaves and Tyrese Haliburton are two of the best players on the team.
“Team USA’s biggest issue for the actual tournament — accepting that Haliburton and Reaves are 2 of the best guys on the team. They’re gonna have to be out there in any big situation even if feelings get hurt.”
Team USA’s biggest issue for the actual tournament — accepting that Haliburton and Reaves are 2 of the best guys on the team. They’re gonna have to be out there in any big situation even if feelings get hurt.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) August 20, 2023
Haliburton and Reaves really stepped up against Germany with 16 points each and helped Team USA overturn a 16-point deficit in the second half to win 99-91. Except for Anthony Edwards, who had 34 points on 11-21 shooting, the rest of the starters struggled, and it was Haliburton and Reaves who ably supported the Minnesota Timberwolves star.
Brandon Ingram got benched in favor of Reaves down the stretch, while Jalen Brunson had to make way for Haliburton. It’ll be interesting to see if this ends up being a theme when the tournament starts or whether this was just for one game, as Ingram and Brunson just couldn’t get going.
If it does end up becoming a theme, then it wouldn’t be surprising if there was a bit of discontent. It would then be down to head coach Steve Kerr and his staff to ensure that things don’t blow up and everyone unites for the common cause of winning the gold.
The U.S. shockingly finished seventh in the 2019 edition and would be keen to go all the way this time around. This win over Germany meant they finished the warm-up series with a perfect 5-0 record.
Austin Reaves Has Been Better Than Expected With Team USA
Some questioned the inclusion of Reaves here, but he has shown that he deserved to make the team. Kerr has been very impressed with Reaves and feels he enhances any lineup that he plays with.
A report also stated that Reaves is shocking Team USA by being way better than they thought he was. The 25-year-old is making a very strong impression, and by the looks of it, there might be a chance he gets into the starting lineup at some point.
It has been a meteoric rise for Reaves, to go from being undrafted in 2021 to potentially being a starter for Team USA at the World Cup.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
