NBA Basketball News: The United States basketball team failed to win the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Star Austin Reaves admitted his team didn’t play well enough.
The U.S. team performed well in group play, suffering just one loss to Lithuania, and it looked like a gold medal was in sight. However, the United States lost in the semifinals to Germany, a game in which Austin Reaves scored 21 points coming off the bench.
Attention would then shift to the bronze medal match against Canada in hopes of winning at least a medal, although that didn’t happen either.
Dillon Brooks, no stranger to Lakers fans, would explode with a game-high 39 points, making it difficult for the United States to pull out a victory and for Canada to ultimately prevail in overtime. Reaves briefly expressed his thoughts on the loss, via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:
“Not good enough. We lost, so that’s the moral of the day. It’s not good enough,” he said
The last two games have been tough for Team USA and coming home without a medal was disappointing considering the level at which this program is run. But his focus now is on the 2024 Olympics, where he hopes to win gold next summer. Regardless, the World Cup continues to show what a great player Reaves is and his ability to improve. The international game is very different from the NBA, notably more physical, and the Arkansas native is hanging in there. He’s capable of playing the same way and being just as effective, which will help his confidence heading into a championship-aspirational year for Los Angeles.
Article Tag: American Basketball Team, Austin Reaves
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