I still remember watching Team USA's 2019 FIBA World Cup campaign with a growing sense of disbelief. As someone who's studied international basketball for over a decade, I've never seen an American team look quite so vulnerable on the global stage. We entered the tournament riding a 58-game winning streak in major competitions with NBA players, yet somehow stumbled to a dismal seventh-place finish - the worst in program history by any measure. What made this collapse particularly fascinating wasn't just the loss itself, but how perfectly it demonstrated the evolving landscape of international basketball.
Looking back, the warning signs were there from the beginning. We had what many called a "B-team" roster after numerous top-tier NBA stars withdrew their participation. Of the 12 players who eventually made the trip to China, only three had previous FIBA World Cup or Olympic experience. The team's leading scorer was Kemba Walker at just 14.4 points per game - compare that to 2014 where James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kenneth Faried all averaged over 12 points, or the 2010 squad where Kevin Durant dropped 22.8 per contest. The lack of shooting became painfully obvious when Team USA shot just 33% from three-point range in their critical quarterfinal loss to France. I remember thinking during that game how different it might have been with even one elite shooter like Steph Curry or Klay Thompson spacing the floor.
The coaching decisions raised eyebrows throughout the tournament. Gregg Popovich is arguably the greatest NBA coach of all time, but his defensive schemes seemed oddly passive against international offenses that have grown increasingly sophisticated. France's pick-and-roll execution in particular exposed how unprepared Team USA was for the nuanced differences in FIBA basketball. The defensive rotations were consistently late, and the communication breakdowns suggested a team that hadn't spent enough time building chemistry. What surprised me most was how the team seemed to lack the trademark defensive intensity we've come to expect from American squads - they allowed opponents to shoot nearly 45% from the field, which is simply unacceptable at this level.
What really stood out to me was how other national teams have closed the talent gap through continuity and long-term planning. Teams like Spain, Argentina, and France have core groups that have played together for years, sometimes over a decade. Meanwhile, Team USA essentially starts from scratch every tournament. This approach worked when the talent disparity was massive, but today's international players are increasingly NBA-developed and comfortable competing against American stars. I've always believed that international basketball requires a different kind of chemistry than the NBA - the shorter preparation time demands players who already understand each other's tendencies and the unique FIBA rules.
The reference to coach Tim Cone's commitment to Gilas Pilipinas actually provides an interesting contrast to Team USA's approach. While Cone faces his own criticisms, his long-term dedication to building the Philippine national program represents the kind of continuity that Team USA has often lacked. Having studied various national team models, I'm convinced the days of throwing together superstar teams months before major tournaments are over. The most successful programs now employ coaches for multiple cycles and develop core rosters that grow together over time.
Personally, I think USA Basketball needs to completely rethink its approach to the World Cup. The organization has traditionally prioritized the Olympics, treating the World Cup as something of an afterthought. But with qualification for the Olympics now tied to World Cup performance, that mindset has become dangerously outdated. We need to either commit fully to sending our best players or develop a dedicated "World Cup team" that builds continuity across multiple tournaments. The current middle ground satisfies nobody and produces the kind of mediocre results we witnessed in 2019.
The lessons from that tournament continue to resonate as we look toward future international competitions. Basketball has truly globalized, and Team USA can no longer rely on superior talent alone. The defensive intensity that characterized previous successful teams was noticeably absent, the offensive execution looked stagnant against set defenses, and the overall roster construction failed to account for the specific demands of FIBA basketball. What worries me most isn't that we lost - it's that we looked unprepared for the level of competition we faced. The rest of the world has caught up, and they're playing with a cohesion and purpose that Team USA desperately needs to rediscover.