Basketball Intelligence for 8/1/24
LEAGUEWIDE AND OLYMPIC STORIES
2024 Olympic basketball: Team USA's top lineup, France's struggles
Staff, ESPN
Nikola Jokic dominates Puerto Rico in Serbia's romp
Kyle Hightower, AP
2024 Olympic basketball: Takeaways from Team USA's win over South Sudan
Brian Windhorst, ESPN
Team USA Has Plenty of Flaws, but Possibly None That Matter
Seerat Sohi, The Ringer
5 takeaways: Bam Adebayo unleashed in Team USA's victory over South Sudan
Shaun Powell, NBA.com
NBA stars Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid get rare ‘humbling’ experience on Team USA
Joe Vardon, The Athletic
Kerr said the players aren’t bothered by the outside drama, but it is clear they notice. For instance, Bam Adebayo, who had a wonderful game against South Sudan with 18 points and seven rebounds, opened his news conference by admonishing a reporter for the mere suggestion that Adebayo might sit so Tatum could get a chance.
“Why did you pick my name?” Adebayo said. “My accolades don’t stand up?”
Forget who isn’t playing or starting for Team USA, its best lineup has been found
Sam Amick, The Athletic
Why is Team USA so bad at 3x3 basketball? How 2024 Olympics rosters were built after men and women struggle
Isabel Gonzalez, CBS Sports
In addition, there are stipulations as to who can play for each 3x3 roster. Players accrue points by playing in more sanctioned 3x3 events over the course of the year, and those who have not participated are not allowed to be placed on the team, unlike with 5x5 rosters, where first-timers are eligible for any competition. Those guidelines certainly led to tougher situations for USA Basketball in building these rosters, but longer-range planning and better selling the 3x3 game to top stars could have remedied them. Instead, we're left with the best basketball country in the world, losing in both men's and women's 3x3 games on the same Olympics day.
For a second day, U.S. 3×3 basketball teams come up short in the Paris heat
David Aldridge, The AThletic
South Sudan is on the rise at the Olympics, just as Luol Deng envisioned it
Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic
Nets’ Jordi Fernandez getting rave reviews with Canada on brink of Olympic knockout round
Brian Lewis, New York Post
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