FIBA World Cup Preview: Team USA
By Bryce Olin
X-Factor: Derrick Rose
At full strength, Rose is probably the best all-around player on this team. He’s been away from most competitive basketball for two seasons because of injuries, but he looks like the difference maker for Team USA. His quickness to get in the lane and explosion to finish at the rim are unmatched in the tournament.
If Rose can show some of his 2010-11 MVP form, there will not be a team who can stop him, which makes it nearly impossible to beat the United States. When Rose blows by his defender, other defenders have to help, leaving open shooters, like Curry, Thompson, and Harden, to bury some threes. Rose isn’t the only player on Team USA who can penetrate and carve up defenses, but if Rose is the one leading the charge, this team cannot be stopped.
There’s two other players I’d like to talk about as possible X-Factors: Faried and Gay.
The USA is weak along the frontline, but they’re especially weak at power forward. When matched up with a stretch-4, Coach K will likely have to use Faried or Gay to defend that player because Cousins, Drummond, and Plumlee are too slow, for the most part.
Faried and Gay are almost opposites of each other. Gay has the offense; Faried has the hustle, rebounding, and intangibles. If Coach K needs scoring from the power forward position, he’s going to use Gay. If he needs hustle and a little defense, Faried is going to be the guy. Right now, Faried is going to get the most minutes because he’s instant energy, and that’s exactly what this team might need when the offense comes to a lull.