Five Thoughts From Team USA’s Showcase
- Kevin Durant has been billed as the face of Team USA this summer and he lived up to his hype on yet another stage. Durant scored 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting and added five rebounds en route to Player of the Game honors. What stood out most, however, was how much more comfortable KD looked with the ball in his hands. Granted, the defense in this showcase was barely above church-league caliber. But Durant showed signs of maturity and an increased awareness of reading and reacting to coverages and that’s the most important thing. He looked relaxed and confident while running pick-and-rolls, often threading the needle to a cutting Lamar Odom. On one possession, he brought the ball up after snaring a rebound and took advantage of a miscommunication between Jeff Green and Brook Lopez by finding Tyson Chandler for an easy layup. Later, Durant passed an open 3-pointer to dump it into Chandler for another and one layup. How does this translate to the Thunder? Coach Scott Brooks has said he wants to put the ball in Durant’s hands more at the top of the key this season, similar to how Dallas uses Dirk Nowitzki. And when you’ve got a lights-out shooter at 6-foot-11 who can now orchestrate the offense from the top of the key, the entire team becomes that much more unstoppable.
- Watching Durant tonight provided a true understanding of why many believe he is well-suited to play the power forward position down the line. His height and length obviously will allow him to steal minutes at the 4 once his body fills out and he gets stronger. But Durant’s nose for the ball was on display as he played closer to the basket. He got easy tip-ins and was able to corral rebounds and loose balls around the rim. By being under the basket and being the first with his hands on the ball, Durant also was able to lead the break at times, turning him into a dominant all-around threat. It was reminiscent of his days at Texas and probably isn’t too far off with the Thunder.
- Russell Westbrook is an almost ideal fit for Team USA because of his potential as an on-ball defender, rebounder and his ability to break down defenses with his dribble penetration. His perimeter shooting is all that’s missing. But if Westbrook makes the cut, it’s clear that he won’t be responsible for much of the ball-handling duties. That job likely will be left up to Chauncey Billups, Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo, all three of whom started Saturday night. Although Westbrook started the second half at point guard for the Blue team, it was Rondo, Billups and Rose who took care of most of the lead guard responsibilities. And it appears Coach K will use Westbrook as more of an off guard who can be just as effective knifing his way into the lane and creating for others, while also being an emergency ball-handler. Coach K has said he isn’t looking at point guards solely as the prototypical classification of a point guard but simply as guards. The coaching staff illustrated that philosophy during several points throughout Saturday’s showcase, as both teams went with a three or four guard lineup. The Blue team at one point played Westbrook, Rondo, Billups and O.J. Mayo together. With a lack of size, it seems we’ll see that same type of guard use in the World Championship, with Westbrook perhaps stepping furthest out of what’s become his comfort zone in the NBA.
- Kevin Love might have played Jeff Green out of a place on this summer’s roster. Going into the showcase, I thought Green had a strong, “sleeper” chance of making the team because of his versatility. And while Green does indeed provide several things, there are just too many other guys who have superior skills. Team USA is suddenly short on big men and that, coupled with the roster’s ample wing players in Durant, Danny Granger, Gerald Wallace, Rudy Gay and Andre Iguodala, forces Green to be a big man. Yet Green isn’t likely to get the nod over true centers like Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler, and Love on Saturday could have bullied his way to Istanbul. Love was a terror on the glass, on one sequence grabbing three offensive rebounds. Love’s low-post scoring ability, as well as his growing skills to step out and can 3-pointers, also makes him an attractive asset to have in the World Championship. Green, meanwhile, struggled to knock down shots from the perimeter and looked outmatched at times as a defender on Durant on the perimeter and bigger players in the post.
- Team USA has loaded up on shooters, and the coaching staff better pray that they never grow cold. The team’s dearth of big men could pose a real problem against a talented international team. Brazil, for example, with NBA players like Nene, Anderson Varejao and long awaited and recently signed San Antonio center Tiago Splitter could give the U.S. team fits. The good thing is that Chandler, Brook Lopez and possibly JaVale McGee are all defensive-minded centers who should be able to hold their own. The bad news is foul trouble is often a problem in international competition and Team USA doesn’t have anyone in reserve to provide resistance at the rim. Offensively, the U.S. won’t get much outside of lobs and tip-ins from Chandler and McGee if they make the team. Lopez showed a growing offensive game in his second season in New Jersey, but even he isn’t likely to do much consistent damage judging by his two-point performance as an afterthought in Saturday’s showcase. That will put a great deal of pressure on sharp-shooters like Durant, Billups and Granger, as well as hopefuls Gay, Mayo, Eric Gordon and Stephen Curry to make shots. If that doesn’t happen, the guards will have to get into the lane and score at the rim. And should any opponent’s team defense perform well enough to stop both of those from happening, well, the U.S.A will be in trouble once again in the World Championship.
-DM-
- Kevin Durant has been billed as the face of Team USA this summer and he lived up to his hype on yet another stage. Durant scored 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting and added five rebounds en route to Player of the Game honors. What stood out most, however, was how much more comfortable KD looked with the ball in his hands. Granted, the defense in this showcase was barely above church-league caliber. But Durant showed signs of maturity and an increased awareness of reading and reacting to coverages and that’s the most important thing. He looked relaxed and confident while running pick-and-rolls, often threading the needle to a cutting Lamar Odom. On one possession, he brought the ball up after snaring a rebound and took advantage of a miscommunication between Jeff Green and Brook Lopez by finding Tyson Chandler for an easy layup. Later, Durant passed an open 3-pointer to dump it into Chandler for another and one layup. How does this translate to the Thunder? Coach Scott Brooks has said he wants to put the ball in Durant’s hands more at the top of the key this season, similar to how Dallas uses Dirk Nowitzki. And when you’ve got a lights-out shooter at 6-foot-11 who can now orchestrate the offense from the top of the key, the entire team becomes that much more unstoppable.
- Watching Durant tonight provided a true understanding of why many believe he is well-suited to play the power forward position down the line. His height and length obviously will allow him to steal minutes at the 4 once his body fills out and he gets stronger. But Durant’s nose for the ball was on display as he played closer to the basket. He got easy tip-ins and was able to corral rebounds and loose balls around the rim. By being under the basket and being the first with his hands on the ball, Durant also was able to lead the break at times, turning him into a dominant all-around threat. It was reminiscent of his days at Texas and probably isn’t too far off with the Thunder.
- Russell Westbrook is an almost ideal fit for Team USA because of his potential as an on-ball defender, rebounder and his ability to break down defenses with his dribble penetration. His perimeter shooting is all that’s missing. But if Westbrook makes the cut, it’s clear that he won’t be responsible for much of the ball-handling duties. That job likely will be left up to Chauncey Billups, Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo, all three of whom started Saturday night. Although Westbrook started the second half at point guard for the Blue team, it was Rondo, Billups and Rose who took care of most of the lead guard responsibilities. And it appears Coach K will use Westbrook as more of an off guard who can be just as effective knifing his way into the lane and creating for others, while also being an emergency ball-handler. Coach K has said he isn’t looking at point guards solely as the prototypical classification of a point guard but simply as guards. The coaching staff illustrated that philosophy during several points throughout Saturday’s showcase, as both teams went with a three or four guard lineup. The Blue team at one point played Westbrook, Rondo, Billups and O.J. Mayo together. With a lack of size, it seems we’ll see that same type of guard use in the World Championship, with Westbrook perhaps stepping furthest out of what’s become his comfort zone in the NBA.
- Kevin Love might have played Jeff Green out of a place on this summer’s roster. Going into the showcase, I thought Green had a strong, “sleeper” chance of making the team because of his versatility. And while Green does indeed provide several things, there are just too many other guys who have superior skills. Team USA is suddenly short on big men and that, coupled with the roster’s ample wing players in Durant, Danny Granger, Gerald Wallace, Rudy Gay and Andre Iguodala, forces Green to be a big man. Yet Green isn’t likely to get the nod over true centers like Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler, and Love on Saturday could have bullied his way to Instanbul. Love was a terror on the glass, on one sequence grabbing three offensive rebounds. Love’s low-post scoring ability, as well as his growing skills to step out and can 3-pointers, also makes him an attractive asset to have in the World Championship. Green, meanwhile, struggled to knock down shots from the perimeter and looked outmatched at times as a defender on Durant on the perimeter and bigger players in the post.
- Team USA has loaded up on shooters, and the coaching staff better pray that they never grow cold. The team’s dearth of big men could pose a real problem against a talented international team. Brazil, for example, with NBA players like Nene, Anderson Varejao and long awaited and recently signed San Antonio center Tiago Splitter could give the U.S. team fits. The good thing is that Chandler, Brook Lopez and possibly JaVale McGee are all defensive-minded centers who should be able to hold their own. The bad news is foul trouble is often a problem in international competition and Team USA doesn’t have anyone in reserve to provide resistance at the rim. Offensively, the U.S. won’t get much outside of lobs and tip-ins from Chandler and McGee if they make the team. Lopez showed a growing offensive game in his second season in New Jersey, but even he isn’t likely to do much consistent damage judging by his two-point performance as an afterthought in Saturday’s showcase. That will put a great deal of pressure on sharp-shooters like Durant, Billups and Granger, as well as hopefuls Gay, Mayo, Eric Gordon and Stephen Curry to make shots. If that doesn’t happen, the guards will have to get into the lane and score at the rim. And should any opponents team defense perform well enough to stop both of those from happening, well, the U.S.A will be in trouble once again in the World Championship.
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[...] Mayberry with some reaction from the scrimmage: “Watching Durant tonight provided a true understanding of why many believe he is well-suited to play the power forward position down the line. His height and length obviously will allow him to steal minutes at the 4 once his body fills out and he gets stronger. But Durant’s nose for the ball was on display as he played closer to the basket. He got easy tip-ins and was able to corral rebounds and loose balls around the rim. By being under the basket and being the first with his hands on the ball, Durant also was able to lead the break at times, turning him into a dominant all-around threat. It was reminiscent of his days at Texas and probably isn’t too far off with the Thunder.” [...]
Nice analysis. I am not a big Green fan anyway and feel he has very limited upside because he is not really comfortable with the ball and is undersized against big forwards. I would be surprised he will be a started after mid-season.
Brook Lopez is a stiff. He might be on the team, but only for his height. Chandler, I thought, looked terrific. Good for him after all of his injuries. Love looked excellent, also although Minnesota with its terrible management will probably still bring him in from the bench or perhaps trade him for another point guard.
Unless their guards totally disrupt the games of the European veterans, it’s unlikely that this team can win the championship. That is unless Durant puts up some unreal numbers which is definitely possible.