The FIBA Basketball World Cup is coming to a close as the round of the final four approaches. The matches are set. Canada is set to take on Luka Doncic and the Serbian national team. Also, the United States goes toe to toe with Germany.
The US has a young core of rising stars with Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves, and Mikal Bridges. Anthony Edwards has had some impressive appearances throughout the series. Even in the US loss against Lithuania, Edwards put up a staggering 35 points with his impressive athleticism and finishing.
Edwards currently leads the US in scoring, as he averages 18.1 points per game. Edwards has really been the standout star for the team, and he will hold a major role in the coming series against Germany.
Mikal Bridges has been crucial on team USA, with his 12.9 points per game contribution. He has been one of the big step-ups on the team.
Austin Reaves is another name to mention, as he had an extremely consistent play, shooting over 50% from beyond the arch. Reaves’ shooting has allowed him to average 12.4 points again, which makes him the 3rd scoring leader on the team. This young core of guys have propelled the inexperienced US team to the final four.
However, their journey ahead will not be by any means easy. Team USA has to go up against two former Celtics – big man Daniel Theis and skilled shooter Denis Schroder. Germany averaged over 60% from inside the arch, and Theis dominated the boards with 5.6 assists per game. Another contender that is just as formidable is Canada, with the duo of Shai Gielgious-Alexander and Rj Barrett.
Alexander has been on a tear, averaging around 23.6 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. Alexander has been a major factor in team Canada’s success and will be a formidable opponent in the upcoming tournament.
However, another major team the US may have to play against is Serbia. Bogdan Bogdanovic has been the talk of Serbia. Averaging 19.4 points per game with 3.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists, Bogdanovic has been superb throughout the tournament . Bogdan three point shooting has been unbelievable during the tourney, as he is shooting around 40%.
Although Bogdanovic is the big time scorer, Niko Milutinov has also played a critical role in the success of Serbia. He gets a staggering 9 rebounds per game and puts up a solid 13 points. The big man’s domination of the paint has certainly helped Serbia reach the final four.
Team USA is going to go through a baptism of fire in order to win out. The young core will have to seriously pull it together to defeat Denis Schroder and the experienced Team Germany. Then they will have to beat a serious Serbian team with skilled shooter Bogdanovic and big man Niko Milutinov or battle Alexsander and a tough team Canada.
Despite the lack of experience on team USA, the raw talent of its rising stars may be able to carry them all the way.
However, this wasn’t the case. Team USA fell short in their bout as they fell to Germany in a 113-111 thriller.
There were plenty of fireworks to go around as Anthony Edwards did what he had done all tournament for the US – score. He finished the game with 23 points and 8 rebounds to go with it. As for Germany, Franz Wagner led the way with 22 points and 5 rebounds.
Team USA’s bad luck continued as they fell to Canada in the Bronze medal match. Team USA was torched by Dillon Brooks as he hung 39 points.
When it was all said and done, it was Germany that came out with World Cup glory as they defeated Serbia. While the outcome for team USA was not ideal, the future looks bright for this young team and their own personal careers in the NBA and beyond.
