The 2023-24 NBA regular season does not begin until October, but for NBA fans looking for something to watch, they will have the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Team USA basketball is set to go for a gold medal with a roster full of NBA players. But one of the challenges Team USA will face is trying to find cohesiveness and chemistry in a short amount of time. A lot of other countries have been playing together for much longer while Team USA has just come together. But Team USA head coach Steve Kerr believes this group has been able to connect with one another rather quickly and there's one key reason why as per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“I think passing does that in general,” Steve Kerr said. “When you have good passers, teams connect quickly. . .Brandon Ingram made about four drive-and-kicks yesterday that were incredible plays, leading to wide open shots. Anthony Edwards has really been moving the ball. And some of these guys have it come so naturally to them, Tyrese (Haliburton), Austin Reaves – these guys are great passers. Jalen from the point guard spot, Mikal as well, and you start adding in the bigs. They're all of a sudden out of a short roll. We're getting swings to the perimeter. The whole group is connected and it's really fun to watch.”
The FIBA World Cup begins on Aug. 25 and runs until Sept. 10. The tournament will be held across three different countries; Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. In addition to Team USA, other countries have quite a few NBA players as well. Team USA may be the favorite, but a gold medal finish is not guaranteed.