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The 2016 version of Team USA may not have the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the NBA’s torchbearers, but it doesn’t seem like those two MVPs will be missed.
Prior to the team finalizing its roster, a number of would-have-been shoo-ins backed out one after another for different reasons. Whether it’s due to an injury or personal safety concerns, coach Mike Krzyzewski and staff were left with a less than resounding squad on paper when compared to its past iterations.
But for the basketball part, which is what it’s all about anyway, the crop of players were already enough. Among this team’s strength that is expected to stand out as the Rio games pile up is the work that they do on defense.
In Marc Spears’ article for ESPN, Venezuela, a team that recently had an exhibition game against the United States team, had its star John Cox describe Team USA’s tenacious effort.
“Their defense is so good.”
“They can switch at every position. There's not really another team in the Olympics who can do that. Even their bigs can move their feet with our guards. That is why they are special.”
With guys like DeAndre Jordan, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Draymond Green, mixing up people for a defensive lineup becomes elementary.
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In fact, when Krzyzewski fielded in a certain lineup, he was simply put in awe by the group’s defense.
“When they came in, it looked like there were seven guys on the court. Their lateral quickness is so good.”
Furthermore, DeMarcus Cousins just nailed it.
“That's our identity. That's something that's preached on the daily. That's something we've accepted as a team.”
