The Team USA's women's basketball team swapped veteran Diana Taurasi for rising star Jackie Young in the starting lineup just before their Olympic quarterfinal matchup against Nigeria on Wednesday.
Against Nigeria, the tweaks were evident from the start. When the starting five took the floor, six-time Olympian Taurasi, who had started each of the two Olympic tune-up games and the three group stage games, turned and walked toward the bench while Young took her place. Taurasi only scored one point in three group stage games, so the change made perfect sense in light of Young’s recent performance against Germany. In that game, Young scored a game-high 19 points, including five 3-pointers, providing a significant boost to Team USA’s offense, which had struggled with a 28% shooting rate through the first three games.
Fans on social media were quick to react to the roster change. One fan tweeted, “I don’t ever wanna see Jackie Young disrespect again,” highlighting the growing recognition of Young’s contributions to Team USA. Another noted, “Jackie Young already justifying being in the starting lineup.”
Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve had previously emphasized the importance of adapting and learning more about her players with each game.
“We going to continue to tweak, tweak, tweak,” Reeve had said after Team USA’s final group stage game, as reported by Chantel Jennings of The Athletic. “By the time we get to the end, we’ll probably think we have it figured out and we’ll probably want to play some more games.”
Young’s recent stats also speak volumes. In her last two games, she averaged 17 points, 3.5 rebounds, two assists and two steals, according to I Talk Hoops, with an impressive 56.5% field goal percentage over 22.5 minutes per game.
Midway through the second quarter, when Nigeria cut Team USA’s lead to just eight points, Reeve reinserted Young, along with Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, and Young’s Las Vegas Aces teammates Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson. This lineup, which had been successful against Germany, closed out the second quarter on a 17-6 run, giving Team USA a 19-point lead at halftime.
Young scored 15 points in the game, while Wilson recorded another double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The combination of players helped Team USA to assert their dominance in the second half, securing an 88-74 victory and extending their Olympic winning streak to 59 consecutive games. The game was watched by Olympic stars like LeBron James, Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky and Dirk Nowitzki, who were all courtside.
Team USA women's basketball will play in the semifinal matchup against Australia on Friday The Australian team features several WNBA players and is coached by New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello.
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