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Team USA at the Olympics has always been a juggernaut of basketball talent that blows away almost any opposition they play. They almost always bag a medal in the Olympics, boasting a total of 15 gold medals since the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
The USA men's national basketball team have a staggering 138-5 record in the Olympics since 1936. But going into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they have lost two exhibition games in a row, something that is simply unprecedented.
Team USA did win their next two exhibition games, but it was glaringly obvious that they need to make changes before the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
How can Team USA improve their game before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
For starters, Team USA were an undersized team before Keldon Johnson and JaVale McGee showed up. The team got outrebounded during their two losses.
So the team needs to collectively fight on the boards and not leave it up to the center to clean the glass as other international teams do. On that note, let's take a look at three issues the USA men's basketball team needs to improve before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
#1 Team USA need to improve their defense
Team USA is filled with NBA players who operate in an offense-heavy league. The NBA has grown fond of offense in recent years, and many superstars don't play defense like they used to. Hence, the team assembled is not a very good defensive one.
The only defensive anchors are Bam Adebayo and Draymond Green, but both are undersized for taller centers. Keldon Johnson and JaVale McGee's addition helped in the paint defense, but the team's perimeter defense remains lacking.
However, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are set to join Team USA for the quadrennial Games. That should boost the team's perimeter defense a lot.
Nevertheless, players like Damian Lillard, Zach LaVine, Jayson Tatum and a few others need to improve their production at the other end of the floor. Outscoring opponents is unlikely to work in international games, as teams work hard at both ends of the floor.
Also Checkout- Tokyo Olympics Men's Basketball Team Roster and Players
#2 Team USA need to have more ball movement and less isolation
Team USA have NBA stars who love to isolate in every possession, but that isn't going to work at the Olympics.
Most of Team USA's offense has come on isolation plays of players like Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard or Jayson Tatum, whereas other countries play as a team. Countries like Nigeria or Australia cannot rely on superstar talent to win them games, so they play as cohesive units.
But the first instinct of Team USA is get their main scorers isolation opportunities.
The other countries are naturally envious of the basketball talent in the USA. Team USA need to exploit that advantage and play like they're playing an NBA All-Star game.
If the ball is constantly moving and the players are moving off the ball, no country would be able to stop the offensive firepower Team USA have at their disposal.
#3 Drawing fouls won't work in the Olympics
The rules around fouling work a lot differently at the FIBA and Olympics than they do in the NBA.
The NBA players in Team USA try to draw fouls on contact, but the referees in the Olympics don't blow their whistles. It's not that the Team USA players are intentionally drawing fouls or foul-baiting. But it has become their natural instinct to chuck the ball in the air on contact and get upset at the referee for not blowing the whistle.
Whereas the international players use contact and physicality like players used to in the 1980s or 1990s NBA.
At the end of the day, Team USA players are excellent basketball players. But they need to stop hunting for fouls and treat each game as if it's a key NBA playoff clash.
Darius Garland said about the difference in officiating at the Olympics and the NBA:
“I be running down the court, and someone would hack me, and there’s no foul. This is very different officiating than what there is in the NBA, so we still need to get used to it.”
Team USA can easily outplay any team in the Olympics, based on their talented roster alone. But if the players get caught up on missed foul calls and no whistles, it will only hurt the team's chances at the Olympics.
Also Read: What are the key differences between rules in Olympic Basketball and the NBA?
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