(Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr stood by his Team USA players after their heartbreaking loss to Germany.
The multi-time champion claimed that the group of players deserved to be world champions, telling Ben Golliver that they simply failed to get the job done (via NBACentral).
“This team is very worthy of winning a championship. We just didn’t get it done.”
– Steve Kerr on Team USA
(Via @BenGolliver ) pic.twitter.com/dtRJYECI5X
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 8, 2023
It’s hard to say that this was a surprise, granted that Team USA had already struggled mightily vs. a physical and big team like Lithuania.
Germany remains undefeated, and they had a blueprint on how to make the Americans uncomfortable in the restricted area, although their three-point shooting was the main reason why they were able to dominate them with such ease.
The Americans’ perimeter defense was dreadful, with Jalen Brunson failing to stay in front of his man and Anthony Edwards gambling too much.
Dennis Schroder, Isaac Bonga, and Daniel Theis made winning play after winning play on both ends of the floor.
Also, Jaren Jackson Jr. had a terrible tournament, and Kerr refused to give Utah Jazz rookie Walker Kessler a longer leash despite being clearly a more natural fit for FIBA basketball.
This roster wasn’t the best USA Basketball could’ve put together by any means, but they were still a very talented team with a bright future in the league.
The dream team of assistant coaches featuring Tyronn Lue and Erik Spoelstra was unable to crack the code on the defensive end of the floor, and now, they’ll have to settle for a chance to play for the bronze medal vs. Canada.
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