Team USA for the 2023 World Cup is taking shape. In fact, it already has eleven players selected, so only one would be missing (not counting those who are called and but are not in the final group) for the twelve that will go to the tournament that will be held (from August 25 to September 10) in Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. The Americans, in which Steve Kerr makes his debut as head coach in a major international tournament after taking over from Gregg Popovich, are drawn in group C, in the Philippines. They will play in the first phase against Jordan, New Zealand and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece.
The United States finished in seventh position in 2019, an affront to the pride of a country that played with fire in the development of its rotation, something increasingly common, especially in the World Cup, which is given less rank than the Games Olympics. With Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as stars, that USA lost in the quarterfinals against France and then, in the positioning phase, against Serbia. Two summers later, he took Olympic gold with, yes, another defeat against France at the first exchange. That team added Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Zach LaVine… They only repeated Jayson Tatum and Khris Middleton from the previous World Cup block. Neither of them was the best possible version of the US team, one that has not been satisfied for years, but the one from the Games was much superior and did not fail in Tokyo.
Now, a team is being prepared without a trace, a priori, of the latter that competed in the Olympic Games and that, surely, will not have much to do with next year’s, in Paris 2024. With Kerr at the helm, Team USA will not he will have his plans A or B, but neither with plans C, D… Even so, due to his incredible depth of talent, he is forming a group with quality, physique and a good structure in which there is game creation, shooting, defensive intimidation… and many young players and rookies in international experiences. With, so far, only four who have been all stars: Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Only one place remains to be confirmed in principle, because the eleventh has been for Paolo Banchero (20 years old), the Orlando Magic power forward who was number 1 in the 2022 draft and Rookie of the Year after a great first season NBA: 20 points , 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Banchero, born in Seattle but to an Italian father, had flirted with the idea of playing for Italy. But he has finally accepted the offer from the United States, thus ensuring a player with a big star ceiling for his selection. In addition, it has been said that he has offered a place to Fred VanVleet, the Raptors point guard who will surely change teams in this summer market. They also wanted to count, but it does not seem to be possible, with Bam Adebayo, who is already an Olympic champion and is certainly on the bloc for Paris 2024. But the center finished the season very tired, after reaching the Finals with the Miami Heat, and everything indicates that he is going to skip this World Cup. For this reason, surely, the entry of Walker Kessler in a group in which for now these ten players are called and confirmed:
TYRESE HALIBURTON. Base. 23 years. Indiana Pacers. Last season: 20.7 points and 10.4 assists with 40% in triples. Once there it will be. The Pacers point guard is one of the rising stars of the NBA, a condition confirmed by his presence in the last All Star. Number 12 in the 2020 draft, the Kings chose him and transferred him in February 2022 to Indiana, in the operation in which they were made with Domantas Sabonis. A fine gamemaster, with an excellent instinct in the pick and roll, who hardly misses and has an excellent outside shot.
JALEN BRUNSON. Base. 26 years. New York Knicks. Last season: 24 points and 6.2 assists with 38.6% in triples. Small (1.88) but with an incredible ability to generate his scoring situations, Brunson has broken into a first-class player in the Knicks, who took him from Dallas with a contract of 104 million for four years in an operation that seemed to many of high risk but that has been shown to be excellent. He has led the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs and stayed on the verge of being All Star. Two-time university champion with Villanova (later he was number 33 in the draft in 2018), he has the material of a leader and the talent to blow up games at times hot.
AUSTIN REAVES. Base/escort. 25 years. Los Angeles Lakers. Last season: 13 points and 3.4 assists with 39.8% in triples. One of the big stories of last season, Reaves went from a Pop phenomenon on social media to a key player in the Lakers who revitalized their season and reached the Western finals. After Russell Westbrook’s departure, he played more point guard, ball-in-hand, and excelled in both playmaking and point generation. He scores from the outside, penetrates with intelligence, is very competitive and makes very few mistakes. This summer he will strike gold with a big contract in the Lakers, who will match any offer for the jewel they took in the market of undrafted players in 2021.
ANTHONY EDWARDS. Shooting guard. 21 years. Minnesota Timberwolves. Last season: 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Once there it will be. Big words, the closest thing to a great NBA star on the team… for now. Edwards has been an all star this season and is one of the best young players (number 1 in the 2020 draft). With a privileged physique, he scores from any position but is unstoppable when he goes aggressively to the basket. He’s improving his shooting, his reading of the game, his defense… he’s on his way to being a real great player, and he’s shown it this spring with a terrific playoff series against the future champion, the Denver Nuggets: 31.6 points, 5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per night.
MIKAL BRIDGES. Eaves. 26 years. Brooklyn Nets. Last season: 20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists. An extraordinary forward with disruptive defensive abilities and that he broke out in attack when he was traded from the Phoenix Suns (where he worked for Chris Paul, Devin Booker and company) to the Brooklyn Nets. In the Big Apple, where he was one of the biggest bidders for Kevin Durant’s trade to Arizona, he played in 27 games and averaged over 26 points with a total repertoire. He shoots from the outside, moves with great intelligence and is, above all, a differential player in defense. He was number 10 in the draft in 2018.
CAM JOHNSON: Small forward. 27 years. Brooklyn Nets. Last season: 15.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 40.4% in triples. Like Mikal Bridges, he went from Phoenix to Brooklyn in the second part of the season, in the Kevin Durant operation. He is a restricted free agent, and he has a powerful market that ensures him a very good contract starting next season. He came to the NBA very well after five years in college (he was number 11 in the draft in 2019). He is a terrific shooter with the height and wingspan to be a good defender and move in both forward and wide power forward positions. His wrist can give him an important role in this Team USA.
BRANDON INGRAM. Eaves. 25 years. New Orleans Pelicans. Last season: 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Once there it will be. Projection of a great star, continuity problems due to injuries and an enormous scoring talent. Forged in the Kevin Durant mold — a very tall, lean forward with a tremendous range of movement — he’s the one to carry the brunt of the attack, especially in sticky situations. He has the talent to score from basically any position and on any type of play, and the size to be a good defender. He was number 2 in the draft in 2016.
PAOLO BANCHERO. Power forward. 20 years. Orlando Magic. Last season: 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists. A great talent that points to a superstar and a Magic franchise player who already made strides in their reconstruction last season. Very young but with a huge attacking repertoire, incredible talent and variants to score in many ways and create play, the United States ensures the commitment of a player who can be differential for many years.
BOBBY PORTIS. Power forward. 28 years. Milwaukee Bucks. Last season: 14.1 points, 9.6 rebounds with 37% in triples. A player who is pure energy and who will complete the inside rotation. He is not a star nor has he ever come close, but he ended up making an important hole for himself in the rotation of the champion Bucks, in 2021 and ended up signing for four extra years and almost 50 million with those of Wisconsin. He sticks with whoever gets in front of him, rebounds, has a shooting range and doesn’t back down in compromising situations. Number 22 of the draft in 2015.
JAREN JACKSON JR. center 23 years. Memphis Grizzlies. Last season: 18.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Once there it will be. He came to Memphis as a star project (number 4 in the draft in 2018) and this year he has already been an all star and Player of the Year. He also has two consecutive seasons in the All-Defensive Quintet. A tremendous intimidator (3 blocks per game last year), he also has resources in attack with a reliable three-point shot and more and more movements near the basket. But the great value of him is defense. When he controls personal foul problems, he changes his team’s games from under the rim.
WALKER KESSLER. center 21 years. Utah Jazz. Last season: 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 72% shooting from the field. The number 22 of the last draft was a very pleasant surprise in a more competitive Jazz than expected after the departure of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. A 2.13 with tremendous intimidation ability, Kessler had skyrocketing defensive metrics in his first year in the NBA and finished in the All-Rookie Five. In the FIBA style of play, he can be a real wall in the rim for Team USA.
2023-06-24 14:46:49
#Team #USA #complete #Reaves #Brunson #Ingram #Banchero..
