Olympics 2021 Men's Basketball: 3 things Team USA must do to beat France in the gold medal match

#2 - Gregg Popovich will need his bench to thoroughly outplay France's second unit

Team USA have an extremely balanced bench

No team in the Olympics can match up with Team USA's talent, but the disparity further grows if bench units are taken into account.

Team USA's bench has players like Zach LaVine, Jayson Tatum, Khris Middleton, and Draymond Green, which goes on to show the country's pool of wealth in this sport.

Head coach Gregg Popovich will be expecting the aforementioned players to dominate their counterparts when the starters are rested.

Team USA have an extremely balanced bench, with the right blend of scoring and defense. France have a relatively weak bench, and if Team USA's second unit can outscore them by a healthy margin, Popovich's team should have no problem winning this game.

#1 - Kevin Durant will need to be at his best

Kevin Durant has been exceptional for Team USA in the Olympics 2021

Kevin Durant had a stellar 2020-21 season despite returning from an Achilles injury, which is considered to be the most brutal injury a basketball player can endure. He had a memorable 2021 playoff run and would have led his team to the Eastern Conference finals if his foot was mere inches behind the three-point line.

Durant has been exceptional in the Olympics as well, proving to be unguardable throughout the event. He dropped 23 points and 9 rebounds against the Aussies in the semi-finals on 52% shooting from the field, effectively taking the game away from them on his own. He has also shown a commitment to play defense, acting as a rim protector when one of Bam Adebayo or Draymond Green is caught out of position.

If Durant continues this terrific run against France in the final, the Frenchmen will not be able to stop Team USA from winning a gold medal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

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