Even though Team USA still won all of its warm-up games, the Americans nearly fell to South Sudan, and LeBron James had to flex his muscles against Germany.
As serious matters approach, Steve Kerr has therefore placed emphasis on intensity with his players.
“That's what today is about. It's time.”, explained the coach. “So it takes 40 minutes of intensity, focus and concentration, because we can't let teams outdo us in terms of effort and energy, like they did the other night against Germany, or against South Sudan.”
Move up a level
The coach wants his players to no longer offer bonus possessions to their opponents, by ensuring defensive withdrawal, throwing themselves on loose balls and controlling the rebound better.
“It’s literally six games and, looking at the video, we’re trotting between possessions.”regrets the coach of Team USA, who broadcast these sequences to his players during a video session. “We're not in contact on the delayed screens. It's time. It's time to focus on this.”
Because Steve Kerr reminds us that even with their best players, the United States no longer has as much margin against the other teams, and that they cannot afford to play while walking.
“We can evolve to a higher level. I think there are still two more levels we can reach, but it's always a collaboration”he assesses. “We can show them the strategy on video. We can tell them, ‘Let’s do this, let’s do that. Let’s study the opponents.’ We have to identify the shooters, the ones who aren’t good shooters, all that. That’s where we can help them. But they can help themselves, just by putting in the effort and showing energy, play by play.”
