Team USA basketball: Why rebounding is a major concern as Americans enter knockout stages of FIBA World Cup

rewrite this content material with complete duration and stay HTML tags A key quantity stands proud from Team USA’s two second-round video games on the 2023 FIBA World Cup: One. That’s what number of rebounds beginning heart Jaren Jackson Jr. — reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year — has pulled down within the win over Montenegro and loss to Lithuania mixed. One. After cruising during the crew level with a median margin of victory of 36.3 issues, the Americans have run into some bother in the second one around. They escaped in opposition to Montenegro, however were not ready to drag off a comeback in opposition to Lithuania after trailing by way of as a lot as 21 issues within the first part. The commonplace denominator in each video games used to be the Americans getting bullied at the glass, at the defensive result in explicit. While that no doubt does not fall all on Jackson, his ineffectivness as the crew’s beginning five-man stands proud. Here’s a take a look at the numbers:Vs. MontenegroVs. Lithuania”The concern is turnovers and rebounds,” head trainer Steve Kerr stated on Friday. “If we stay even on the possession game, I feel great about our chances against anybody. The way teams can beat us is if they get extra possessions and force a lot of turnovers and we’re not sharp and we’re not boxing out. And I’ve told our guys that. … It’s not really a secret.”While time and again getting overwhelmed at the glass no doubt wasn’t by way of design, it is to an extent a outcome of Team USA’s roster development. Jackson is very best suited as a energy ahead, and the one different true bigs at the crew are Bobby Portis, any other energy ahead, and Walker Kessler, the second-youngest participant at the crew. In the present beginning lineup, Jackson is the one participant taller than 6-foot-6. As a outcome, they’re ceaselessly at a critical measurement downside, particularly in opposition to some of the European groups that use extra conventional frontcourts. Take this play from the outlet mins of the Montenegro recreation, when Nikola Vucevic grabbed two offensive rebounds. On each events, Jackson has been pulled clear of the rim, which leaves the likes of Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards to take a look at and handle Vucevic below the rim. The ultimate outcome is no wonder. There have additionally been circumstances of the Americans merely getting outworked, alternatively, such as the general play of the 3rd quarter in opposition to Lithuania. All 5 Americans had been within the paint, but Mindaugas Kuzminskas got here up with the unfastened ball after a quantity of guidelines and scored a the most important basket on the buzzer. Team USA’s small-ball means offers them a vital merit in lots of spaces, however with the intention to win this match they will must rebound. That begins with Jackson. Even despite the fact that he is not recognized for his rebounding, he has to lend a hand set the tone in that division as the beginning heart. But when he isn’t across the rim, both as a result of he is guarding somebody at the perimeter or has challenged a shot, the remaining of the crew must lend a hand select up the slack. Plays just like the Kuzminskas one can not occur. It’s additionally honest to wonder whether it is time to give Portis or Kessler some extra prolonged mins. Based at the 2022-23 NBA season, they’re statistically the crew’s very best rebounders, but they rank tenth and twelfth at the crew in mins, respectively. That’s comprehensible taking into consideration how Steve Kerr desires to play, but when Team USA continues to have bother rebounding the ball, then a body of workers trade is also important. Portis, specifically, has been in heaps of large video games, can area the ground, and is at all times going to present all-out effort. The Americans’ first probability to make some enhancements at the forums will come on Tuesday after they tackle Italy within the quarterfinals. While the Italians have scraped by way of every now and then on this match, they enter as the second-best rebounding crew closing, and feature averaged 11.4 offensive rebounds in keeping with recreation. Team USA is going to have a ability merit in opposition to each and every closing crew, however as we now have realized over and over over the years in world tournaments, that most effective way such a lot. In shorter video games on smaller courts, in opposition to extra skilled and battle-tested warring parties, you need to do the little issues to win. And possibly no little factor is larger than rebounding.  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