This team is very different from the one that played in the Tokyo Olympics. That selection was full of stars. The Durants, Tatum, Lillard and other cast of stars made rivals shudder just by hearing their names. Two years have passed since then and USA Basketball intends to make up for the disaster of the past World Cup, a 7th place that did not reflect all the talent that the United States has at its disposal. For this reason, they intend to win with a list without names so well known to the general public, but who for NBA lovers are interesting players with great visual appeal.
The American basketball federation wanted to test this team before the real preparation for the World Cup. The “other team” had mostly young players, which is not to say bad, from the NBA and some from the Development League. Two 10-minute games were played, the World Cup team fell 2-0, there are no alarms but neither is there complete peace of mind. One of the names that stood out after the defeats was the best point guard in the squad, Tyrese Haliburton. He and Jalen Brunson They are the game directors who must lead the North American team in the World Cup in just over two weeks.
Tyrese Haliburton
In mid-2022, the Indiana Pacers decided that the project in which Sabonis, Brogdon and company were involved had not finished settling. It was in no man’s land, a lot of talent that incomprehensibly did not finish settling down or getting results due to its irregularity, so the board decided that a reconstruction was necessary. They began by trading the Latvian for a youngster with a lot of potential who was playing in Sacramento, Tyrese Haliburton. The incompatibility with the other star, De’Aaron Fox, was what caused the board to have to transfer one of the two. It has certainly been a victory for both franchises.
The Pacers bet on him as the flag of their new project, for now time is proving them right. Since his arrival he has had a superlative performance and has not stopped growing as a player. This year he has debuted in the All Star and it is expected that it will not be the last. 20.7 points, 10.4 assists and 40% in the triple, numbers within the reach of very few. This year he has made the leap from promise to star.
Haliburton is the only pure point guard on the squad led by Steve Kerr, which does not prevent him from acting as a shooting guard if the occasion requires. The entire game of the team passes through his hands. Here we have the conductor of this selection, fast, electric, with a large amount of resources, at the level of organization, offensive resources and IQ. He is a player well above average, this season he has fallen just 0.3 assists away from being the maximum assist (James Harden). At the defensive level, he is a player who, although he is not the worst defender, must improve a lot to become a solid point guard on both sides of the track. His physique is a double-edged sword.
Jalen Brunson
Brunson had been selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 Draft, the same as Luka Doncic, at the beginning of the 2nd round. His first two years in Dallas were nothing to highlight, by the third he began to appreciate an evolution in all facets of the game. In the last year of his contract, he made sure to go through “the front door”, Brunson became the team’s great manager alongside Doncichis explosion was vital to make up for the absences of the Slovenian and to lead the team to the Conference Finals, a final that they would lose 4-1 against the champions, the Golden State Warriors.
In Dallas they did not want to give him the amount he demanded, so he and his agent began to move on the free agent market. The option that sounded the most, and the one that was finally given was that of the New York Knicks. His father currently works as an assistant coach for the team, so this union was predictable.
From Doncic’s teammate in Dallas to the undisputed leader of the Knicks. The doubts that Julius Randle aroused about whether he was the star the franchise needed, or if he was even a star due to his irregular performances on the track, made Brunson take the helm of the team and in what way. 24 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists, and in the playoffs he even improved these numbers: 27.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists. The non-inclusion of him in the All Star This year caused a lot of controversy.
A player not too tall but stout for his size, he doesn’t hog the ball too much and isn’t afraid to get into the zone. He handles himself quite well in drives to the basket, his success from the triple is something that cannot be neglected either. Also note that in delicate situations he has no problem assuming responsibility and asking for the ball.
This weekend they can be seen at the Martín Carpena in the duels they will have against Slovenia (Saturday) and against Spain (Sunday).
2023-08-08 08:50:49
#point #guards #Team #USA #recover #throne
