Team USA forward Jayson Tatum could be replaying in his head the images of their shocking defeat to Nigeria in their exhibition game last Saturday.
It's only Team USA's third defeat since 1992 so it was a huge reality check for coach Gregg Popovich and his boys ahead of their stint in the Tokyo Olympics.
Tatum finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, but he largely struggled from the field, along with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. After their 90-87 defeat, the Boston Celtics main man didn't offer any excuses but chalked it up to good ol' lack of chemistry.
“I don’t know the exact answer (on when we'll be able to gel). It’s only been four days and we’re making strides. None of us have ever played with each other. So, we’re just trying to figure it out. We know we don’t have three or four weeks or whatever it may be.”
Team USA doesn't have a lot of time.
Team USA is set to play a few more exhibition games and Tatum and company need to get things going quickly if they want to defend the gold medal in the quadrennial meet. The sobering loss to Nigeria highlighted the fact they can't just simply show up and rely on their individual talents as NBA superstars.
“It just kind of goes to show that, you know, we have to play better. And, on any given night, the team that plays harder and is more physical—anybody can win. It’s something we can learn from.”
With his second straight stint with Team USA, it could be wise for Jayson Tatum to embrace the leadership role.
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