FIBA World Cup 2019: 3 Talking Points from USA vs Japan

No drama this time around.
No drama this time around.

#2 USA's defence capable of singling out stars on the opposing roster

Rui can now work towards building a promising NBA career.
Rui can now work towards building a promising NBA career.

Going into this game, the USA camp knew they had a problem in 21-year-old Rui Hachimura. The soon-to-be Washington Wizards rookie's athleticism and quickness certainly command respect.

However, he couldn't quite take off against his future NBA compatriots in this matchup. Apart from his thunderous poster slam over Myles Turner - which made up 2 of his 4 points in the game - he had a negligible impact on proceedings in Shanghai.

Team USA restricted him to 2-of-8 (25%) shooting from the floor and also made sure he could grab no more than four rebounds.

Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr are two of the most intelligent basketball minds in the league, and their game plans are bound to play a crucial role in handling bigger superstars that USA will face going forward.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram