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Despite the lack of time playing together, Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich believes his players have built a rapport with each other.
Per Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Popovich says the players have already gotten close, which he believes will be beneficial in their FIBA World Cup run in China.
“They've become close in a short period of time,” Popovich said. “The camaraderie has blossomed, and I think that will bode well for us.”
Team USA has a roster with talent at the top, including new Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner and Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton. Players like Harrison Barnes, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Mason Plumlee, Brook Lopez, Joe Harris, and surprisingly Derrick White make up the American team bent on winning gold in East Asia.
Walker, the team's de facto leader and floor general, echoed Popovich's message about teamwork and chemistry.
“We have great chemistry, I think. We're getting along really well,” Kemba Walker said after practice Friday at an international school in the Pudong section of the sprawling city (Shanghai). “We want to play for each other, and that's the biggest thing.”
Team USA faces off Japan, the Czech Republic and Turkey in the preliminary group stage of the tournament. The top two teams in the group advance to the knockout round of the World Cup.
