"Talent alone is not enough!" Two weaknesses of the American Dream Team. U.S. media "Tremendous talent does not guarantee a gold medal"

Jul 24, 2024

'There are two weaknesses!'

Shocking claims have been made to the U.S. Dream Team. There are two weaknesses, and it is predicted that the championship will be tougher than expected.

The U.S. played five warm-up matches. They all won.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis were powerful, and America's thick depth was unheard of. Not only the starting members but also the second unit was powerful. In the end, he defeated all of his best powerhouses.

However, the performance was not good. He won by one point (101 to 100) against South Sudan, which is considered the lowest-ranked country among the participating countries in the Paris Olympics, and also won the basketball World Cup champion Germany 92-88 after a rematch.

LeBron James showed a strong impact in both games, but the problem was clear.

CBS Sports said the U.S. attempted only 17 3-pointers against Germany. Germany tried a whopping 43. Star shooter Stephen Curry shot more than 17 3-pointers in six games for his team Golden State last season. However, there has never been such a scene in the national team.

Of course, there is a reason. Germany played a premeditated defense. The media reported 'Germany scored 30 points in the third quarter alone. Spacing was maxed out with a five-out system. In defense, Germany played defense to induce the U.S. with a perimeter (space inside the 3-point shooting line and outside the free throw line) and a long 2. In other words, he intensively blocked the base of the goal and the three-point line. This strategy worked.

In the end, it is appropriate to evaluate that the U.S. was induced by the attack the opponent wanted in the game plan. We need to break this system. Therefore, he cited 3-point shooting as a weakness of the U.S. Dream team. In particular, there was certainly a scene where Stephen Curry was not used well.

Another weakness is transition. This part is related to the starting lineup dilemma of the U.S. Dream Team.

If the media utilized transitions such as Anthony Edwards' score after Joel Embiid block against Germany, Curry's 3-pointer after LeBron James block, and Jason Tatum's score after Bam Adebayo block, the U.S. played as it wanted and scored highly efficiently. In other words, it is clear that the game can be solved in an advantageous way only by gaining the upper hand in the Dream team's strong defense and the transition that follows. However, the U.S. transition lacks consistency.

Director Steve Kerr feels the same way. He is emphasizing the pressure defense on the outside and the transition is emphasized. 'In five warm-up matches, he has shown that a huge amount of talent alone is not enough. Even if there are many superstars, it does not guarantee a gold medal. The U.S. was on the verge of losing twice in the warm-up matches. In that sense, he should be happy that he felt this sense of crisis in the warm-up match.

sfryu@sportschosun.com