The thing is those countries always have a problem dealing with is the U.S's defense.
Not another country out there can swarm like they can. None.
It's their M.O all the way back to younger FIBA players. Get turnovers, generate a lot of pressure, attack the weakest link and blow the game open.
Actually Canada proved they can do just that.
They've got some of the best perimeter defenders in the world, you could even argue the highest volume of perimeter defenders out of every country, and were only really missing a defensive big man during this campaign (which they'll be hoping Edey can turn into). Those same players will be there in four years time.
In the same vein, with Wemby anchoring their defense, all these young French prospects have the length and size to be difference makers on defense too.
Many of those players who didn't really play/anchor that 4th quarter will be there the next go round are going to be impressive defenders. Some of these cats on this team will probably have a ring or two on the big stage by 2028. U.S will have a lot of exceptional 2-way players for 2028 that international competition won't have any plan to deal with once they turn it on as a team.
You need five really good, clutch players to match that level Team USA goes to when their intensity picks up and I don't think any other team mostly full of journeymen players does.
I think you're taking too much of what you saw out of what they showed in this Olympics and thinking it'll transfer over to the next. It's much easier to play that sort of defense when that becomes either one of/or your primary role, which it was for everyone not named KD, Bron and Steph. Of course, you can have that defensive intensity parlaying off the runs that those players create on the other end of the floor, but what happens when that level of talent isn't there?
What happens when that level of harmony on offense isn't present and players lose their bearings? What happens when the offense is jacking up shots with no sense of hierarchy or balance?
Someone made mention about having Ja, Ant, Zion etc at the next Olympics, as if this is 2k and you can run out these players with the best overall ratings and magic will happen.
It doesn't work like that.
I think a lot of folks have taken for granted how special KD is during the Olympics. He could get a bucket against any type of defender, in any type of situation, and he didn't need to be all up in the videos whilst doing it. None of these next generation of stars have proven they can do anything remotely on that level. They either thrive in chaos, and/or can't take smart shots and have little-to-no grasp of how to manage runs, which isn't conducive to winning in FIBA play. You need to have a constant half-court prescence throughout a game to maintain control; you can't just keep up trying to generate offense on the break or coming down the the floor and resorting to junk offense (which Ant pretty much did all Olympics). It's not the NBA.
Clingan is size insurance. Lamelo is my pipe dream bc he’s that good but you can replace him with Jaylen. Brown or Williams….or Cade Cunningham. Or Cooper Flagg if he’s like that. What are we even talking about. The only question is do we pick the best or do we pick role players and ‘fit’
they didnt in 2021
nikka YOU GETTING ABSOLUTELY SHREDDED 
WARDELL STEPHEN CURRY
. Replacing KD/Bron/Steph isnt as simple as yall making it out to be...Embiid matches up well against Jokic and he wont be back either.
Keep your head up lil buddy
Dudes seriously played themself this thread
