5 NBA players who played well in closing FIBA World Cup warm-up games

5 NBA players who played well in FIBA warm-up games this week

FIBA World Cup warm-up games are coming to a close, but plenty of NBA players are still showcasing their skills in the lead-up to the tournament.

Apr 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

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Apr 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (1) controls / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Many argue that Team USA lacks an alpha and that could be their downfall this summer, but Anthony Edwards is making a strong case against that

The United States beat Germany 99-91 over the weekend to finish 5-0 in warm-up play. Germany led by 16 at one point, but Anthony Edwards heroics sparked a comeback and won the United States the game.

Edwards finished with 34 points and head coach Steve Kerr said Edwards is, “unquestionably ‘the guy.’”

“I mean… he knows it, but now the team knows it and I think the fans see it.”

Edwards establishing himself as the de-facto leader for Team USA is perhaps the most important element of these warm-up games. Going 5-0 is nice, but this team had more questions than answers when play began.

One of them was who they would give the ball to in big moments. This can be a difficult decision to reach a consensus on when you’re dealing with a team like this one: full of talent, but not one clearly defined NBA superstar. A lot of these guys are in similar standing in the league, which could’ve been problematic.

But Edwards shined vs Germany and has been great all summer. If he keeps playing this way, he should walk away with the gold medal this summer.

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